12 CIRCULAR 863, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Inoculation 



The organism that produces nodules on the roots of sericea 

 appears to be the same as that on common lespedeza but is not 

 necessarily the same as that which works on Korean. It will 

 probably be wise to inoculate the seed when seeding on eroded 

 land or on land from which lespedeza has long been absent. 

 While inoculation will eventually take place, a stronger initial 

 growth may be assured by inoculation. 



Lime and Fertilizer 



On land of medium productivity sericea has shown little re- 

 sponse to lime and fertilizers. On some soils, however, sericea 

 does respond to soil am°n^ments. Such response is usually more 

 marked during the seeding year than later, and the use of lime 

 and fertilizers may maKe cne aiiference between a vigorous and 

 a feeble stand. 



In the Coastal Plain and in the Sand Mountain area of north- 

 eastern Alabama the use of phosphate was found essential to good 

 growth. Here the use of a ton of basic s'ag or 400 pounds of 

 superphosphate per acre is advised to establish sericea. In 

 Missouri there was apparently no response to lime, but phosphate 

 produced better growth. In Tennessee (20) lime was not essential 

 but often gave increased yields. At Tifton, Ga., various fertilizers 

 were tried by the Bureau of Plant Industry, but to none except 

 phosphorus did sericea show any response. Yields were increased 

 100 percent when phosphorus was given. 



A fertilizer trial was carried out by the Bureau of Plant In- 

 dustry on an established stand of sericea on sandy land at the 

 Agricultural Research Center at Beltsville, Md. Here it was 

 found that the hay yields were increased from 25 to 30 percent 

 by the application of phosphate. There was also some response 

 to potash, but the use of phosphate and potash together gave 

 best results. Chemical analysis showed that the phosphorus con- 

 tent of the herbage was higher where phosphate had been applied 

 than where it was not used. 



In general, applications of 300 to 500 pounds of superphosphate, 

 with few exceptions, have significantly increased the yield of 

 sericea in a relatively large number of tests over the Southeast. 

 Less striking but consistently good results have been secured 

 from applications of lime. As a result of these tests applications 

 of phosphate and lime are generally recommended in the Southeast 

 for maximum production of hie:h quality sericea forage. 



In the Soil Conservation Service where many seedings are nec- 

 essarily made on badly eroded land in a low state of productivity, 

 the use of phosphate or of both lime and phosphate is regarded 

 essential to successful stands. On the bas's of present knowledge, 

 it may be said that on soils of fair to medium productivity sericea 

 does not need lime or fertilizer. On badly eroded soils or on 

 those poorly supplied with phosphorus applications of lime and 

 phosphate are not only desirable but may often be essential to 

 vigorous growth. 



