Estimation of host-strain compatibility for symbiotic N-fixation between Rhizobium meliloti, several annual species of Medicago and Medicago sativa

Howieson, J.G., Nutt, B. and Evans, P. (2000) Estimation of host-strain compatibility for symbiotic N-fixation between Rhizobium meliloti, several annual species of Medicago and Medicago sativa. Plant and Soil, 219 (1/2). pp. 49-55.

Abstract

Standard methods for estimating host-strain compatibility for N-fixation in vitro proved inadequate for examination of the symbiosis between Rhizobium meliloti and Medicago sativa, M. littoralis, M. tornataas well as for hybrids between M. littoralisand M. truncatula. When screening procedures in soil free of background R. melilotiwere adopted, nitrogen fixation appeared to be unrestricted by the screening environment. During the experiments it became clear that the single commercial inoculant strain available in Australia (CC169) was poorly effective at N-fixation with many of the lucerne and annual medic cultivars examined. Interspecific hybridisation between M. truncatulaand M. littoralis also produced genotypes that were particularly difficult to satisfy in a symbiotic sense. Despite the existence of substantial host-strain genotype interactions between the symbiotic partners, several alternative strains of R. meliloti proved to be broadly effective at N-fixation. One of these, WSM826, has since become commercially available in Australia.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Murdoch Affiliation:	Centre for Rhizobium Studies
Publisher:	Kluwer Academic Publishers
Copyright:	© 2000 Kluwer Academic Publishers
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/17261

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