The cobalt requirement of subterranean clover in the field

Abstract

Yield increases of 30% were obtained on two subterranean clover pastures in response to dressings of 2 and 10 oz CoSO₄.7H₂O per acre. A dressing of salts containing chromium, nickel, vanadium, tungsten, aluminium, and iodine had no effect.

Applications of cobalt increased the nitrogen content of the clover in all cases. No response to cobalt was obtained in the presence of adequate applied nitrogen.

Clover growth was sharply reduced when cobalt contents fell below 0.04 p.p.m.

The unfertilized soils on which the experiments were located contained only 0.022 and 0.019 p.p.m. cobalt in the 0–4 in. layer. Applied cobalt was not leached downward but remained in the surface 4 in. However, less than 0.5% of the applied cobalt was taken up by the pasture.

To obtain a response to applied cobalt it appears necessary for legumes to be growing in soil containing Rhizobia capable of symbiotic nitrogen fixation; but the soil must also be very low in available cobalt and nitrogen.