Several rhizobial strains were isolated from Phaseolus coccineus root nodules and were determined to be Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar phaseoli strains after reinfection of the same host plant. These strains were characterized by cultural procedures (growth on different carbon sources and intrinsic antibiotic resistance) and electrophoretic procedures (sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel ...

Rhizobium tropici, a member of the Rhizobiaceae family, has the ability to synthesize and secrete extracellular polysaccharides (EPS). Rhizobial EPS have attracted much attention from the scientific and industrial communities. Rhizobial isolates and R. tropici mutants that produced higher levels of EPS than the wild-type strain SEMIA4080 were used in the present study. The results suggested a h...

Rhizobial bacteria are known for their capacity to fix nitrogen for legume hosts. However ineffective rhizobial genotypes exist and can trigger the formation of nodules but fix little if any nitrogen for hosts. Legumes must employ mechanisms to minimize exploitation by the ineffective rhizobial genotypes to limit fitness costs and stabilize the symbiosis. Here we address two key questions about...

The diversity of 71 rhizobial strains belonging to the genus Ensifer, isolated from root nodules of woody legumes growing in southern Ethiopia, was studied using multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) and phenotypic approaches. Phylogenetic analyses based on core genes revealed that 43 strains were clustered in seven distinct and consistent positions (genospecies I-VII), while another 25 strains w...

The legume-rhizobia symbiosis is a classical mutualism where fixed carbon and nitrogen are exchanged between the species. Nonetheless, the plant carbon that fuels nitrogen (N(2)) fixation could be diverted to rhizobial reproduction by 'cheaters'--rhizobial strains that fix less N(2) but potentially gain the benefit of fixation by other rhizobia. Host sanctions can decrease the relative fitness ...

THIES, J. E., BOHLOOL, B. B., arid SINGLETON, P. W. 1992. Environmental effects on competition for nodule occupancy between introduced and indigenous rhizobia and among introduced strains. Can. J. Microbiol. 38:493-500. Understanding the impact of environmental variables on interstrain competition is important to ensure the successful use of rhizobial inoculant. In eight inoculation trials cond...

The present study was aimed to use spent wash as a substitute for expensive commercial media for Rhizobial cultures. Growth of Rhizobium strains at different concentrations of spent wash was observed and found maximum at 50% spent wash. Bacteria were grown on 50% spent wash which produced remarkable results and competed with standard media like tryptone yeast extract, Rhizobium minimal and yeas...

The New Zealand native legume flora are represented by four genera, Sophora, Carmichaelia, Clianthus, and Montigena. The adventive flora of New Zealand contains several legume species introduced in the 19th century and now established as serious invasive weeds. Until now, nothing has been reported on the identification of the associated rhizobia of native or introduced legumes in New Zealand. T...