Extra kick for drought specialist
Science meets practice: New rhizobium inoculant for sainfoin launched at Freudenberger’s field sowings
In collaboration with the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), Feldsaaten Freudenberger is launching an innovative solution for the successful cultivation of sainfoin.
Esparsette is one of the valuable forage legumes, offering numerous benefits for agriculture and animal nutrition. Nevertheless, it has so far only been grown on relatively small areas in Germany. Reasons for this include its sensitive early growth and an often insufficient supply of nitrogen.
Researchers at the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) have now developed a promising solution: as part of a research project, Mesorhizobium onobrychidis OM4 – a previously unknown species of rhizobium – was isolated, which, in trials, demonstrated an exceptionally strong growth-promoting effect on sainfoin. Compared with untreated plants, biomass growth was up to four times higher.
As a long-standing specialist in forage crops and the marketer of the only German sainfoin variety, Feldsaaten Freudenberger was involved in the practical validation at an early stage. The results achieved at the JKI were confirmed in the company’s own trials. At the end of April 2026, a technology transfer agreement was finally signed between the Julius Kühn Institute and Feldsaaten Freudenberger. This gave our company the opportunity to further develop and market the newly discovered bacterial strain for agricultural use.
RhizoFix RF-55 is an inoculant developed specifically for sainfoin. Inoculating the seed promotes the formation of highly effective nodule-forming bacteria, thereby improving the plants’ nitrogen supply – a key factor in ensuring healthy early growth and vigorous stands.
“The successful collaboration with the Julius Kühn Institute demonstrates how scientific research can lead to practical solutions. Our aim is to make esparsette cultivation more attractive and to provide farmers with innovative products for sustainable forage production.”
With the launch of RhizoFix RF-55, Feldsaaten Freudenberger once again underlines its commitment to rapidly translating scientific innovations into market-ready products and to sustainably promoting the cultivation of valuable legumes.
Source: Julius Kühn Institute, press release PI2026-06 dated 3 August 2026, “Forage crop gets a growth boost from a newly discovered beneficial bacterial species”; FNR’s Plants topic portal.
Further information: The full press release from the JKI and the FNR newsletter can be found here