02480naa a2200289 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902200140006002400350007410000160010924501270012526000090025250001110026152015940037265000170196665000160198365000120199965000130201165300160202465300200204065300160206065300130207670000170208970000160210670000160212277300520213810501192019-10-23       2014    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d  a0032-079X7 a10.1007/s11104-013-1999-z2DOI1 aBEYHAUT, E.  aLegumes in prairie restorationbEvidence for wide cross-nodulation and improved inoculant delivery.h[electronic resource]  c2014  aArticle history: Received 1 October 2013 // Accepted 3 December 2013 // Published online 22 December 2013.  aBACKGROUND AND AIMS.  Prairie restoration aims to create self-sustaining, resilient prairies that ameliorate biodiversity loss and soil deterioration associated with conversion of native grasslands to agriculture. Legumes are a key component of the nitrogen-limited prairie ecosystem. Evidence suggests that lack of suitable rhizobia may explain legume absence from restored prairies. This study explores effects of novel alternative inoculant delivery methods on: (a) prairie legume establishment, (b) soil biological properties, and (c) inoculant strain ability to nodulate the host over time. Methods: Alternative inoculation methods for seven legume species were tested in a replicated field experiment. Legume establishment, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, and rhizobial inoculant strain recovery were measured over a 3-year period. Results: Legume species richness in the second growing season was enhanced by a soil-applied granular clay inoculant, while seed-applied powdered peat inoculation was generally ineffective. When Dalea rhizobia were recovered 3-year after planting, only 2 % from the seed-applied inoculation treatment identified with the inoculant strains, whereas this amount ranged from 53 to 100 % in the other inoculation treatments. Some legumes established unexpectedly effective symbioses with strains not originally intended for them. Conclusions: Results provide new insights on inoculation of native legumes, especially when a mix of seeds is involved and the restoration targets harsh environments.  © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.  aINOCULACIÓN  aLEGUMINOSAS  aPRADERA  aRHIZOBIA  aINOCULATION  aPRAIRIE LEGUMES  aRESTORATION  aRHIZOBIA1 aLARSON, D.L.1 aALLAN, D.L.1 aGRAHAM P.H.  tPlant and Soil, 2014gv.377, no.1-2, p.245-258.