Birdsfoot Trefoil Inoculation
Bacteria for coating seed for successful establishment
Packet will inoculate 50 lbs. of birdsfoot trefoil.
Inoculation consists of coating the trefoil seed with a proper strain of bacteria. Once the seed germinates, the bacteria enter the root hairs and form a nodule. The bacteria living inside the nodule take nitrogen from the air and convert it into a form the plant requires.
Without this nitrogen the establishment and subsequent production of trefoil is poor. The seedlings do not develop. The leaves turn a pale yellow colour. They cannot compete with broadleaf weeds or the accompanying grasses. Often such trefoil plants do not develop sufficient root and top to successfully overwinter and even if they do, low yields will occur in the succeeding year. One or two years are required before a sufficient population of bacteria develop in the soil to permit modulation of trefoil that will allow healthy and vigorous growth of the trefoil.
It is extremely important to insure that trefoil seed is inoculated with the proper strain of bird’s-foot trefoil inoculant prior to seeding.