The cultivation of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is not only important because of its nutrient, content, but also for its high productivity and its ability to fix nitrogen through its association with Rhizobium meliloti. To better understand this symbiotic association, the interaction between R. meliloti strains SEMIA-116, SEMIA-134 and SEMIA-135 with different cultivars of alfalfa Florida 77, Pioneer 5929, CUF 101 and Crioula was evaluated. In addition to the above treatments, the fungicides Iprodione and Thiram were used with the cultivar Crioula to study their effects on the alfalfa/Rhizobium interaction. Plants inoculated with SEMIA-116 had a greater number of nodules. However, no significant difference in the production of plant dry matter was observed between the various Rhizobium strains and the alfalfa cultivars tested. In the presence of the tested fungicides, the Crioula/SEMIA-116 association showed superior biomass production and number of nodules. Results obtained in this study suggest that SEMIA-135 should not be used as an inoculum for alfalfa when Iprodione is used either as a soil or seed treatment.
Medicago sativa; nitrogen; nodulation; seed treatment
