Native rhizobium strains are lacking in some agricultural soils in NE South Africa

Rhizobia is a group of gram-negative soil-borne bacteria with several beneficial strains for biological nitrogen fixation in legume crops. Rhizobium strains are found native in the soil but where they are absent, commercial strains are inoculated on crops. We assessed the availability of native rhiz...

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Published inActa agriculturae Scandinavica. Section B, Soil and plant science Vol. 70; no. 5; pp. 406 - 408
Main Authors Ogola, J. B. O., Macil, P. J., Ramabulana, E., Odhiambo, J. J. O.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Taylor & Francis LLC 03.07.2020
Taylor & Francis Group
Subjects
16s rrna gene
Agricultural land
Bacteria
chickpea
Chickpeas
Crops
dna extraction
Flowering
inoculation
Klebsiella
Legumes
Nitrogen fixation
Nitrogenation
nodulation
Nodules
Planting
Soil bacteria
Soil microorganisms
Soil types
Soils
Strains (organisms)
South Africa
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Summary:Rhizobia is a group of gram-negative soil-borne bacteria with several beneficial strains for biological nitrogen fixation in legume crops. Rhizobium strains are found native in the soil but where they are absent, commercial strains are inoculated on crops. We assessed the availability of native rhizobia in chickpea fields at two sites, with contrasting soil types, in NE South Africa. Serial dilutions were used to identify bacteria from soil samples and chickpea nodules sampled before sowing and at flowering, respectively. Our results indicated the absence of rhizobia strains at both sites. Burkholderia cenocepacia, Klebsiella variicola, Bacillus subtilis and Ochrobactrum spp, which are not important in agriculture but are often reported in clinical environments, were identified. Therefore, inoculating chickpea with compatible rhizobia strains may be necessary in some soils in this region.
ISSN:0906-4710
1651-1913
DOI:10.1080/09064710.2020.1754453