Soil water content affected the nodulation and N2 fixation of Phaseolus vulgaris by Rhizobium phaseoli and the utilization of mineral N by plants. Plants grown in wet soil produced twice as much as those grown on dry soils. Nodule weight and activity were five to ten times greater than those from dry soils. At 45 days, N additions inhibited nodulation, but this effect was partially diminished in wet soils.
The maximum N utilization from fertilizer to produce dry matter did not correspond to maximum N utilization by pods.