Skip to main content
Log in

Phage sensitivity and host range of Rhizobium strains isolated from root nodules of temperate legumes

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Twenty-five Rhizobium strains were isolated from root nodules of Astragalus spp. (10), Hedysarum alpinum (7), Glycyrrhiza pallidiflora (3) and Ononis arvensis (5). The sensitivity of these strains to bacteriophages of Rhizobium loti, R. meliloti, R. galegae and R. leguminosarum was studied. Phages specific to R. loti strains were shown to induce the phage lysis of several Astragalus, Hedysarum and Ononis rhizobia. Ten R. loti strains tested for nodulation abilities on the plant hosts under investigation were able to develop nitrogen-fixing nodules on the Ononis arvensis roots. On the other hand, rhizobia from Ononis and Glycyrrhiza could form an effective symbiosis with Lotus corniculatus plants, so these bacteria are considered to belong to the Rhizobium loti taxon. Bacterial strains isolated from Astragalus and Hedysarum were observed to cross-nodulate their plant hosts as well as Oxytropis campestris, Glycyrrhiza uralensis and Ononis arvensis plants, whereas they could not nodulate Lotus plants. It is concluded that these Rhizobium strains comprise a cross-inoculation group related to Rhizobium loti. ei]{gnR O D}{fnDixon}

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen O N and Allen E K 1981 The Leguminosae: A Source Book of Characteristics, Uses and Nodulation. Wisconsin University Press, Madison, WI. 812 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnet Y M 1972 Bacteriophages of Rhizobium trifolii. I. Morphology and host range. J. Gen. Virol. 15, 1–15.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bremner J M and Mulvaney C S 1982 Nitrogen total. In Methods of Soil Analysis. Eds. A LPage, R HMiller and D RKeeney. Vol. 2, pp 595–624. American Soc. of Agronomy, Madison, WI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruch C W and Allen O N 1957 Host specificities of four Lotus rhizobiophages. Can. J. Microbiol. 3, 181–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen W X, Yan G H and Li J L 1988 Numerical taxonomic study of fast-growing soybean rhizobia and a proposal that Rhizobium fredii be assigned to Sinorhizobium gen. nov. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 38, 392–397.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen W X, Li G S, Qi Y L, Wang E T, Yuan H L and Li J L 1991 Rhizobium huakuii sp. nov. isolated from the root nodules of Astragalus sinicus. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 41, 275–280.

    Google Scholar 

  • Corby H D L 1981 The systematic value of leguminous root nodules. In Advances in Legume Systematics. Eds. R MPolhill and P HRaven. Part 1, pp 657–669. Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crow V L, Jarvis B D W and Greenwood R M 1981 Deoxyribonucleic acid homologies among acid-producing strains of Rhizobium. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 31, 152–172.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutchinson J 1964 The Genera of Flowering Plants: Dicotyledons, I. Clarendon Press, Oxford. 516 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen H L 1967 Mutual host plant relationships in two groups of legume root nodule bacteria (Rhizobium spp.). Arch. Microbiol. 59, 174–179.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen H L and Hansen A-L 1968 Observations on host plant relations in root nodule bacteria of the Lotus-Anythyllis and Lupinus-Ornithopus groups. Acta Agric. Scand. 18, 135–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jordan D C 1984 Family III: Rhizobiaceae Conn 1938. In Bergey's Mannual of Systematic Bacteriology. Eds. N RKrieg and J GHolt. Vol. I, pp 234–244. Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, MD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ledingham G F and Rever B M 1963 Chromosome numbers of some southwest Asian species of Astragalus and Oxytropis (Leguminosae). J. Can. Gen. Cytol. 5, 18–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lesley S M 1982 A bacteriophage typing system for Rhizobium meliloti. Can. J. Microbiol. 28, 180–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindström K 1989 Rhizobium galegae, a new species of legume root nodule bacteria. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 39, 365–367.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindström K, Jarvis B D W, Lindström P E and Patel J J 1983 DNA homology, phage-typing and cross-nodulation studies of rhizobia infecting Galega species. Can. J. Microbiol. 29, 781–789.

    Google Scholar 

  • Novikova N I, Bazenova O V and Simarov B V 1987 Phage sensitivity of natural and mutant strains of alfalfa nodule bacteria differing by cultural and symbiotic properties (Summary in English). Agric. Biol. No. 2, 35–39.

  • Prévost D, Borbeleau L M, Caudry-Reznick S, Schulman H M and Antoun H 1987 Characteristics of rhizobia isolated from three legumes indigeneous to the Canadian high arctic: Astragalus alpinus, Oxytropis maydelliana and Oxytropis arctobia. Plant and Soil 98, 313–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sachs L 1972 Statistische Auswertungsmethoden. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York. 598 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scholla M H and Elkan G H 1984 Rhizobium fredii sp. nov., a fast-growing species that effectively nodulates soybeans. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 34, 484–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner G L and Gibson A H 1980 Measurement of nitrogen fixation by indirect means. In Methods for Evaluating Biological Nitrogen Fixation. Ed. F JBergensen. 111–138. Wiley, Toronto.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vincent J M 1970 A Manual for the Pratical Study of Root-Nodule Bacteria, IBP Handbook No. 15. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford and Edinburgh.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson J K and Chin C-H 1947 Symbiotic studies with isolates from nodules of species of Astragalus. Soil Sci. 63, 119–127.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Young J P W and Johnston A W B 1989 The evolution of specificity in legume-Rhizobium symbiosis. Trends Ecol. Evol. 4, 341–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Novikova, N.I., Pavlova, E.A. & Limeshchenko, E.V. Phage sensitivity and host range of Rhizobium strains isolated from root nodules of temperate legumes. Plant Soil 151, 45–53 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00010785

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00010785

Key words

Navigation