Abstract
Laboratory, glasshouse and field tests were conducted in Australia and Costa Rica in an attempt to nodulate Chaetocalyx longiflora. Inoculation with diverse rhizobia, supplementary root treatment and top grafting were unsuccessful. C. latsiliqua and C. longiflora did not nodulate in potted soil taken from the base of Chaetocalyx growing naturally in Costa Rica although Aeschynomene (a closely related genus) nodulated prolifically. C. latsiliqua growing in infested soil was not affected by root knot nematodes Meloidogyne spp. It is concluded that Chaetocalyx spp. are non-nodulating legume with limited use a pasture or green manure crop but may have uses as trap hosts in nematode infested soils.
