o:595 Efficiency of alfalfa seed priming and rhizobial-based liquid inoculants in an Eutric Cambisol en Abstract: In the last few decades, peat-based bioinoculants have been proven as successful in alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.) seeds inoculation. However, the use of liquid inoculants or pre-inoculated seeds will greatly facilitate the sowing of alfalfa as a small seed legume. Therefore, this study evaluated the effect of four liquid formulations on the survival of Sinorhizobium (Ensifer) meliloti strain 218 during long-term storage. Sodium-alginate (SA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) did not affect the growth of S. meliloti strain 218 and showed a significant positive effect on its survival in liquid bioinoculants up to 240 days of storage. The effect of seeds pre-inoculation on the efficiency of nitrogen (N) fixation in alfalfa plants in test tube and a two-year field experiment was measured. The field experiment was conducted in 2018 and 2019 in an Eutric Cambisol. The dry weight of alfalfa shoots and total N content significantly increased in pre-inoculated seeds with all media, compared to the control treatments without pre-inoculation and adding mineral N. In both years of cultivation, the highest total shoot dry weight was achieved by seeds pre-inoculation with SA and PVP 3 months before sowing. Furthermore, in these treatments, shoot dry weight significantly increased compared to the treatment with mineral N in the 2nd (2019) year. The results of the research showed that rhizobial bioinoculants with SA and PVP could be used as liquid bioinoculants as well as for successful pre-inoculation of alfalfa seeds. rhizobia, Medicago sativa, liquid bioinoculants formulation, pre-inoculation, Sinorhizobium meliloti 1552099 10.13080/z-a.2021.108.043 2022-09-08T09:22:54.528Z 44 yes 46 Aneta Buntić Institute of Soil Science 0000-0002-7068-1804 46 Olivera Stajković-Srbinović Institute of Soil Science 0000-0001-9759-843X 46 Magdalena Knežević Institute of Soil Science 0000-0003-0186-3652 46 Nataša Rasulić Institute of Soil Science 0000-0003-2807-0775 46 Vladan Ugrenović Institute of Soil Science 0000-0001-6642-8235 46 Đorđe Kuzmanović Institute of Soil Science 46 Dušica Delić Institute of Soil Science 0000-0002-0626-0482 application/pdf 1017704 https://unilib.phaidrabg.rs/o:595 no yes 1 70 92000001 71A05 Agriculture 108 4 339 346 2021