Author: Rebecca Fudge, PhD Candidate, Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota Rhizobia inoculation can ensure that you are getting as much nitrogen as possible from your legumes. In this article, you will learn how inoculants work, how to apply them, and how to choose the right inoculant for your farm. Nitrogen is critical for plants’ growth and development. Most plants take up nitrogen from the soil, but the legume family of plants can derive nitrogen directly from the air (and remember: air is almost 80% nitrogen gas!) Legumes can’t do this alone, however. They must associate with soil bacteria called rhizobia to engage in the process of biological nitrogen fixation. In this process, rhizobia form specialized organs on the legume’s roots called nodules, which are ideal environments for the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into a nitrogen form the plant can use. This makes legumes valuable sources of protein (think of soybeans, lentils, chickpeas, and more) as w...
