Won the fungicide kill the rhizobium inoculant?
Rhizobia are sensitive to some seed-applied fungicides. When using a combination of fungicide and inoculant, consult inoculant product labels and company compatibility fact sheets for the various methods fungicides can be applied to pulse crops. One method is to apply the fungicide to the seed first, allow it to dry and apply the inoculant immediately prior to seeding (sequential method). Once inoculated, plant as soon as possible as delays can reduce the efficacy of the inoculant. Prolonged exposure of the rhizobium may lead to desiccation and/or toxic effects. Granular inoculants are separated from the seed, thus providing protection to the inoculant. Studies (Matus et al. 2004) show that, when applied as recommended, seed treatments have no significant effect on rhizobium and the capacity to fix nitrogen.
