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Development ofBradyrhizobium infections in supernodulating and non-nodulating mutants of soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merrill)

Protoplasma volume 150, pages 40–47 (1989)Cite this article

Summary

The early events in the development of nodules induced byBradyrhizobium japonicum were studied in serial sections of a wild type (cv. Bragg), a supernodulating mutant (nts 382) and four non-nodulating mutants (nod49, nod139, nod772, andrj 1) of soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merrill). Cultivar Bragg responded to inoculation in a similar manner to that described previously for cv. Williams; centres of sub-epidermal cell divisions were observed both with and without associated infection threads and most infection events were blocked before the formation of a nodule meristem. The non-nodulating mutants (nod49, nod772, andrj 1) had, at most, a few centres of sub-epidermal cell divisions. In general, these were devoid of infection threads and did not develop beyond the very early stages of nodule ontogeny. Sub-epidermal cell divisions or infection threads were never observed on mutant nodl39. This mutant is not allelic to the other non-nodulating mutants and represents a defect in a separate complementation group or gene that is required for nodulation. The supernodulating mutant nts382, which is defective in autoregulation of nodulation, had a similar number of sub-epidermal cell divisions as the wild-type Bragg, but a much greater proportion of these developed to an advanced stage of nodule ontogeny. Mutant nts382, like Bragg, possessed other infection events that were arrested at an early stage of development. The results are discussed in the context of the progression of events in nodule formation and autoregulation of nodulation in soybean.

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Abbreviations

nts:

nitrate tolerant symbiosis

RT:

root tip (i.e., position of the tap root tip at the time of inoculation)

SERH:

shortest emerging root hair (i.e., position of the shortest emerging root hair on the tap root at the time of inoculation)

SCD:

subepidermal cell divisions

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Author notes

  1. P. M. Gresshoff

    Present address: Plant Molecular Genetics, College of Agriculture, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Botany Department, The Australian National University, Australia

    Anne Mathews, B. J. Carroll & P. M. Gresshoff

Authors
  1. Anne Mathews
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  2. B. J. Carroll
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  3. P. M. Gresshoff
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Mathews, A., Carroll, B.J. & Gresshoff, P.M. Development ofBradyrhizobium infections in supernodulating and non-nodulating mutants of soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merrill). Protoplasma 150, 40–47 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01352919

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01352919

Keywords

  • Soybean
  • Non-nodulating mutants
  • Supernodulating mutant
  • Sub-epidermal cell divisions
  • Autoregulation of nodulation