What is an inoculant and what does it do?

What is an inoculant and what does it do?

The main job of an inoculant is therefore to help facilitate stable solidification and the formation of graphite. CONCEPT OF INOCULATION. The purpose of inoculation is to promote heterogeneous graphite nucleation by introducing elements that form suitable substrates that will act as nuclei and initiate graphite growth.

What is inoculation of cast iron?

“Inoculation of molten cast iron” refers to the introduction of nuclei into the melt in order to influence the solidification process or structural formation in the casting in a specific way. Nuclei are fine particles that are ≤ 4 µm in size and which serve as crystallization centers for the graphite precipitation.

What is inoculant material?

Inoculants are FeSi based alloys which contain carefully balanced amounts of active elements designed to control the microstructure and mechanical properties of cast irons.

Is inoculum good for plants?

Commercial inocula are labeled according to the plant species for which the rhizobia are highly effective. Successful nodulation and effective nitrogen fixation requires the correct inoculant.

What is the importance of adding inoculants during melting of metals?

The addition of an inoculant is thus to be equated with an addition of crystallizers to the molten iron, thus enabling graphite crystallization with minimal under- cooling below the stable eutectic temperature.

What is magnesium treatment in casting?

The liquid metal treatment process for producing compacted graphite is carried out by adding magnesium into the liquid metal, which is known as magnesium treatment.

What are inoculants in metallurgy?

[i′näk·yə·lənt] (metallurgy) A substance which augments a melt, usually in the latter part of the melting operation, thus altering the solidification structure of the cast metal, as in grain refinement of aluminum alloys.

Is inoculant a fertilizer?

Microbial inoculants are environmental-friendly and deliver plant nutrients to plants in a more sustainable manner. Microbial inoculants can help reduce chemical fertilizer application. Microbial inoculants could include bacteria, fungi and algae.

Can you apply inoculant after planting?

There’s no right way to apply the inoculant to the seeds. Our favorite is to spread inoculant on an old dinner plate and, after soaking the seeds, rolling them in the inoculant. But we’ve also sprinkled inoculate right from the can after laying the seed in its furrow and before covering with soil.

Can inoculant be applied after planting?

The inoculant needs to be stored properly to keep bacteria alive. Ideally, the bacteria or rhizobia should be stored in a refrigerator or cool area. High temperatures and exposure to sunlight can kill the bacteria. Seed should be planted quickly after inoculant is applied.

What is an inoculant?

An inoculant is generally a powdered form of bacteria or fungus that is added to the soil by means of coating the pea or bean seed with the powder prior to planting. This has specific effects on the plant and/or soil (see below). There are some liquid inoculants available, but the majority are powders.

How do you inoculate plants with mycorrhizal inoculant?

We can inoculate our plants with mycorrhizal inoculant by taking just a small bucket of soil from a healthy environment that contains the right fungi, or by buying mycorrhizal fungi products from a garden center or online.

Should I add rhizobium inoculants?

One reason some seasoned gardeners do not add inoculants is because they have a good supply of Rhizobium already in the soil, and keep it alive by feeding it. (There is a lot of nitrogen in organic matter.)

Why not inoculate seed?

Another reason is the benefits of inoculation are not readily visible by home gardeners. We seldom plant inoculated seed side by side with non-inoculated seed to compare harvest amounts, and we don’t measure nitrogen in the soil.