Impacts of domestication on the rhizobial mutualism of five legumes across a gradient of nitrogen-fertilisation

Domestication and crop breeding has improved plants for human use, but may have unintended consequences traits that are not selected upon. Disruption in the mycorrhizal mutualism been observed crops; possibly due to fertilised soil. Little is known about whether legume-rhizobia can be disrupted by domestication evolution, despite importance of symbiotic nitrogen fixation. We aimed identify differences mutualistic outcomes between five legume cultivars their wild progenitors terms reactions across varying levels. With greenhouse experiments, we characterised symbiosis chickpea, lentil, pea, peanut, soybean a gradient N fertilisation characterise differ context specifically domesticated lines. At lower levels addition, benefited more from rhizobia than soybean. Chickpea abandoned at chickpea accessions. reduced per-nodule colony forming units (CFU) response addition chickpeas, lentil CFU less The peanut did relatives rhizobial benefit, nor nodulation addition. Differences regulation root nodule evident soybean, or peanut. This indicates disruption—a decrease magnitude mutually interaction—is possible, necessary, consequence domestication.