Does bioinoculant formulation technology impact how microbes (e.g., bacteria) enter the root zone? In this week’s edition of Growing Possibilities, we will look at how liquid inoculants can help get immobile nutrients like phosphorus closer to the plant.
The main formulations that bioinoculants come in are peat, liquid and granular (1). Peat powder inoculants are not as widely used because of how messy they tend to be when handling, so for today we will focus on granular and liquid formulated bioinoculants (1). Simply put, liquid inoculants are microorganisms or bacteria suspended in a liquid matrix (2). Liquid inoculants can be applied on seed prior to planting, or in-furrow during planting. There are two main types of granular inoculants, peat-based and clay based, where granules of material are impregnated with designated microorganism or bacteria. Granular inoculants can be applied in-furrow during planting (2). There are a lot of pros and cons when considering application methods, whether to go liquid or granular, but today we are going to focus on the nutrient aspect.
If the input is the same, does it matter to your crop how they are getting their beneficial bacteria? Soil bacteria can’t travel far in soil, and many nutrients like phosphorus are immobile (3). Liquid inoculants are beneficial here, because nitrogen fixing strains of Rhizobium bacteria and phosphorous solubilizing Bacillus firmus are more mobile when suspended in a liquid formulation, and therefore, can reach further into the rhizosphere (4). Liquid inoculants are also more easily absorbed into the soil, this is especially evident in poor soil and low water availability (5). They are also quicker releasing than their granular counter parts, and early access to nutrients has been shown to produce healthier plants (5). Granular inoculants prove to have a less uniform concentration of bacteria than liquid inoculants, this means that you can achieve optimum amounts of nitrogen fixing bacteria and P-solubilizing bacteria throughout an entire crop using a liquid inoculant (2).
XiteBio’s proprietary brands of premium liquid bioinoculants, XiteBio® SoyRhizo® and XiteBio® PulseRhizo®, contain trusted nitrogen fixing strains of Rhizobium, while XiteBio® Yield+ product line contains p-solubilizing Bacillus firmus, making phosphorus more readily available to the plant. Deciding what formulation of inoculant to use on your crop can be a difficult decision, unique to your farm needs and operation. Premium liquid inoculants bring a lot to the table, especially when every input matters. Until next time, wishing you healthier plants and better yields.
References
- https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/grdc-update-papers/tab-content/grdc-update-papers/2009/09/comparing-peat-and-granular-inoculation-treatments-national-experience
- Producing microbial products for sustainable agriculture in Manitoba – XiteBio Technologies – Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Pros and cons of granular and liquid fertilizers – MSU Extension
- https://www.topcropmanager.com/making-the-best-inoculant-choices-12882/
- https://vlsci.com/blog/liquid-vs-granular-fertilizer/#:~:text=Liquid%20fertilizers%20can%20be%20more,when%20fertilizing%20smaller%20crop%20areas.