Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-1982

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Plant, Soil and Environmental Sciences

Major Professor

Wayne J. McLaurin

Committee Members

David L. Coffey, Alvin D. Rutledge, Charles A. Mullins

Abstract

Two field experiments and a greenhouse experiment were conducted at Knoxville, Tennessee to determine the effect of granular inoculants on production of southern peas. One field test was conducted at Site 1 which had been in soybeans, a legume, in the immediate past and the other was conducted at Site 2 which had been in fescue sod for the past 25 years.

The field experiments consisted of eight treatments which were arranged in a randomized complete block design and replicated four times. Treatments consisted of five granular (soil applied) inoculants, one dormal (seed applied) inoculant, a nitrogen fertilizer application and an untreated control.

In the field tests, pod yield, percentage shellout and dry weights of plant tops and roots were recorded. In addition to the above data, root nodule counts were taken from plants in the greenhouse study.

Significant differences were not found among treatments at Site 2, except from the dormal treatment which resulted in a marked decrease in yield the first year (1981), but not the second year (1982) of the study. Other treatments had no effect on pod yield. Differences in the dry weights of tops and roots were also noticed among certain treatments, but these differences were not consistent for both years.

Overall total dry weight production differed between years. Rainfall was considerably greater in 1982 than in 1981 which probably accounted for some of the dry matter production that year. A change in the tissue drying technique the second year of the study probably contributed to most of the differences detected in dry weight between years. No difference in fresh weight was detected between years. Treatments had no influence on seed development as portrayed by percentages of pod shellout.

Under greenhouse conditions, inoculation treatments had little effect on plant growth and nodule development. The nitrogen treatment resulted in vegetative growth only. Dry weight of roots differed slightly among treatments while dry weight of tops did not. Plants in plots receiving LX767-127K44 (granular) produced the most dry matter while those in plots receiving the dormal treatment and Legume Aid (granular) for Phaseolus produced the least dry matter. The number of nodules on the roots of plants varied noticeably among inoculant treatments. Roots of plants receiving nitrogen had the fewest number of nodules, followed closely by the control. The roots from the plants receiving the inoculation treatments had about equally high numbers of nodules on the roots.

Of the few statistically significant differences found among treatments in the field, none were consistent over both years of the study. Certain treatment effects detected in the greenhouse were not detected in the field.

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