GENERAL EFFECTIVENESS OF RHIZOBIUM-LEGUMINOSARUM BIOVAR VICEAE POPULATIONS FROM DIFFERENT AGRICULTURAL LOCATIONS

Arable soils from ten agricultural locations in Bohemia and Moravia we re tested to define their ''whole-soil'' indigenous Rhizobium populati ons in terms of nodulation, average effectiveness, and ability to meet N requirements of Pisum sativum L. The effectiveness of indigenous po pulations and a standard strain was evaluated by the acetylene-reducin g activities, nodule and plant dry mass accumulation, and by plant bio mass N content (yield) in the plants cultivated under the controlled g rowth conditions. Most of the soils had sufficient native rhizobia for successful nodulation and to meet the yield potential of symbiotic pe as. In general, specific C2H2-reducing activity of nodule tissue was i nversely related to the nodule dry mass accumulation. With the excepti on of three soils, the plant dry biomass accumulation and plant biomas s N content were equal or slightly better in the plants nodulated by t he soil populations than in the control ones.