By David Moseley, Davis, Jeff A., Harrison, Stephen A., Price, III, Paul P, Padgett, Guy B., DeWitt, Noah, Kerns, Dawson, Villegas, James M.
LSU AgCenter
The bacteria that is responsible for nitrogen fixation in soybean is Bradyrhizobium japonicum. If a field has never been planted to soybean, it is likely the seed will need to be inoculated. The bacteria can survive many years until the next soybean crop, but the common recommendation is to inoculate seed if soybean has not been planted for 3 to 5 years. However, research has indicated that an increase in yield is possible if seed is inoculated in a regular soybean rotation.