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Little River, TX | I have been led to believe that the rhizobia survive for years in a high pH soil. It just may be that the good times reverse at a 7.7 pH.
In my Grandfather's day they would plant sweet clover the year before planting alfalfa. This was some time +/- 20 years of 1900. In those days it was common to plant a clover with wheat or oats. Here the most reliable clover was, still is as a matter of fact, sweet clover.
Now it is in some locations it is popular to plant wheat the year before going into alfalfa, and to have corn or cotton follow alfalfa.
It is interesting how short our collective memory is. Some time ago I read some information from our local experiment station about how persistent nitrogen is in THIS soil. The current crop of inhouse experts have no knowledge of that work let alone of the results. This work probably was done in the 1950's maybe 60's. Later some papers were again published stating the same information, just with a few different twists. No mention is made of the earlier work or results. The second generation of researchers have moved on to bigger and better positions, and now are close to retirement. The Current generation is back to referencing data from work done on sandy, nuetral or acid soils and in a completely different climate.
It is a shame all that still valid work has been forgotten.
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Effect of pH on rhizobia populations
