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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1992 July; 58(7): 2137-2143
Copyright © 1992, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Diversity among Rhizobia Effective with Robinia pseudoacacia L.

Janet McCray Batzli, William R. Graves^,* and Peter VAN Berkum

¹ Department of Horticulture and the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, Maryland 20742-5611, and Soybean and Alfalfa Research Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland 20705²

ABSTRACT

The diversity of rhizobia that form symbioses with roots of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), an economically important leguminous tree species, was examined by inoculating seedling root zones with samples of soil collected from the United States, Canada, and China. Bacteria were isolated from nodules, subcultured, and verified to be rhizobia. The 186 isolates varied significantly in their resistance to antibiotics and NaCl, their growth on different carbohydrates, and their effect on the pH of culture media. Most isolates showed intermediate antibiotic resistance, the capacity to use numerous carbohydrates, and a neutral to acid pH response. Isolates had greater similarity within sampling locations than among sampling locations. The isolates were grouped by using numerical taxonomy techniques, and representative strains of 37 groups were selected. The mean generation times of these isolates ranged from 3 to 9 h, and the protein profile of each of the 37 isolates was unique. Nitrogen fixation, total nitrogen accumulation, and plant growth varied significantly among black locust seedlings inoculated with the representative isolates. We conclude that great variation exists among Rhizobium spp. that nodulate black locust, and selection of strains for efficiency of the symbiotic association appears possible.

^* Corresponding author.

Present address: Department of Forestry, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801.

Present address: Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011.

Scientific article A6289, contribution 8458, from the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station.

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