Abstract
Soil samples were inoculated with different levels (101 to 107 cells g-1 soil) of A7 and RM7 (a streptomycin-resistant mutant of A7) strains of pigeon pea Rhizobium. The populations of applied rhizobia in soil were immediately investigated with the plant infection dilution frequency technique (PIT). The results showed that PIT failed to detect the population up to the level of 4.1×103 cells of A7 strain g-1 soil, whereas it started to detect the RM7 population when applied at 3.4×103 cells g-1 soil. Keeping the skips negative, the PIT detected 5.8×101 and 1.0×103 cells out of the applied 4.1×105 and 4.1×107 cells of A7 g-1 soil, respectively, whereas 1.7×101, 1.0×103 and 5.8×104 cells of RM7 were detectable out of the applied 3.4×103, 3.4×105 and 3.4×107 cells g-1 soil, respectively. These results indicate that the method counts the population of the RM7 strain more efficiently than that of the A7 strain when equal numbers of cells of these strains are added to the soil. This variation in efficiency was ascribed to the variable antagonistic effect of soil microorganisms on the Rhizobium.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Amarger, N and Lobreau, J P 1982 Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 44, 583–588.
Brockwell, J 1963 Appl. Microbiol. 11, 377–383.
Date, R A and Vincent, J M 1962 Aust. J. Expt. Agri. Anim. Husb. 2, 5–7.
Fisher R A and Yates F 1963 Statistical Tables. Oliver and Boyd (6th ed.).
Holland, A 1970 Plant and Soil 32, 293–302.
Johnson, H W et al. 1965 Agron. J. 57, 179–185.
Pena-Carbiales, J J P and Alexander, M 1983 Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 47, 81–84.
Pugasheti, B K et al. 1982 Soil Biol. Biochem. 14, 45–48.
Reyes, V G and Schmidt, E L 1979 Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 37, 854–858.
Robinson, A C 1968 Aust. J. Expt. Agric. Anim. Husb. 8, 327–331.
Sidhu, B S et al. 1988 Biol. Fert. Soil. 6 84–88.
Stower M D and Elkan G H 1980 Criteria for selecting infective and efficient strains of Rhizobium for use. Tech. Bull. No. 264, North Carolina.
Thompson, J A and Vincent, J M 1967 Plant and Soil 26, 72–84.
Vidor, C and Miller, R H 1980 Soil Biol. Biochem. 12, 483–487.
Vincent J M 1970 A manual for practical study of root nodule bacteria. IBP Hand Book No. 15, Oxford Blackwell Scientific Publications.
Weaver, R W and Frederick, L R 1974 Agron. J. 66, 229–232.
Wilson, J K 1926 J. Am. Soc. Agron. 18, 280–294.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sidhu, B.S., Beri, V. The Rhizobium strain-dependent efficiency of the plant infection dilution frequency technique, as encountered for pigeon pea. Plant Soil 131, 147–149 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00010430
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00010430