Rhizobium inoculant and seed-applied fungicide effects on field pea production

Field pea has been shown to benefit from the use of rhizobium inoculation and seed-applied fungicides under intensive production. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of seed- or soil-applied rhizobium (Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae) inoculants and seed-applied fungicides on field pea (Pisum sativum “Carneval”) production on fields with no previous history of the crop. The study was conducted at seven locations in Saskatchewan in each of 2 yr. Fungicide treatments were Apron FL (metalaxyl), Apron FL + Thiram 75WP (dithiocarbamate) and an untreated check in 1997 and a fourth treatment, Thiram 75WP, was added in 1998. Rhizobium treatments were seed-applied liquid inoculant, soil-applied granular inoculant and a non-inoculated check. Inoculation with rhizobium increased nodulation (5 of 10 sites), seed yield (6 of 13 sites), and protein content (3 of 8 sites), but occasionally appeared to reduce emergence (3 of 14 sites). Granular inoculant had more beneficial effects than the liqu...