Summary
Differences in nitrogen fixing abilities of 18 provenances (16 from India, 2 from Israel) ofAcacia nilotica (L.) Willd. ex Del. were assessed in sterilized sand in chillum jars and unsterilized field soil in earthen pots, at Hisar (29°10′N lat., 75°46′E long., 215 m alt.), India. There were significant differences in growth and amount of nitrogen fixed and stored in plants (P < 0.01) between provenances. The values ranged from 10 to 34 mg N/plant in sterilized sand, and 11 to 44 mg N/plant in unsterilized soil. Maximum nodulation and nitrogen fixation occurred in Sirsa provenance followed by Pali, Coimbatore and Chandigarh provenances. Medinipur, Hisar (local provenance) and two exotics fixed significantly (P < 0.01) lower amounts of nitrogen. These differences attributed to genetic variability among provenances ofAcacia nilotica. There were strong and positive correlations between number and mass of nodules with total nitrogen fixed in the plants. The results are important from the point of view of exploiting the genetical variability inA. nilotica in amelioration of wastelands.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abbott, I., 1984. Emergence, early survival and growth of seedlings of six tree species in mediterranean forests of western Australia. For. Ecol. Manage., 9: 51–66.
Bala, N., P. K. Sharma & K. Lakshminarayana, 1990. Nodulation and nitrogen fixation by salinity-tolerant rhizobia in symbiosis with tree-legumes. Agric. Ecosys. Environ. 33: 33–46.
Bisht, R. P. & O. P. Toky, 1993. Growth pattern and architectural analysis of nine important multipurpose trees in arid region of India. Can. J. For. Res. 23: 722–730.
Dahiya, J. S. & A. L. Khurana, 1981. Chillum jar, a better technique for screening of rhizobia under summer conditions. Pl. Soil 63: 299–302.
Dreyfus, B. L. & Y. R. Dommergues, 1981. Nodulation ofAcacia species by fast and slow growing tropical strains ofRhizobium. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 41: 97–99.
Fleming, A. I., E. R. Williams & J. W. Turnbull, 1988. Growth and nodulation and nitrogen fixation of provenances ofCasuarina cunninghamiana inoculated with a range ofFrankia source. Aust. J. Bot. 36: 171–181.
Gordon, J. C. & C. T. Wheeler, 1978. Whole plant studies on photosyntheses and acetylene reduction inAlnus glutinosa. New Phyton. 80: 179–186.
Hardy, R. W. F., R. D. Holstein, E. K. Jackson & R. C. Burns, 1968. The acetylene-ethylene technique for nitrogen fixation: laboratory and field evaluation. Pl. Physiol. 43: 1185–1207.
Hardy, R. W. F. & U. D. Havelka, 1976. Photosynthate as a major factor limiting nitrogen fixation by field grown legumes with emphasis on soybean. In: P. S. Nutman (Ed.), Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in Plants 7: 421. Camb. Univ. Press, London.
Lindner, R. C., 1944. Rapid analytical methods for some of the more common inorganic constituents of plant tissues. Pl. Physiol. 19: 76–89.
National Academy of Sciences, 1983. Firewood Crops: Shrubs and Tree species for Energy Production. Vol. I & 11. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.
Olivares, J., M. A. Herrera & M. J. Bedmar, 1988. Woody legumes in arid and semi-arid zones. TheRhizobium-Prosopis chilensis symbiosis. In: D. P. Beck & L. A. Materon (Eds), Nitrogen Fixation by legumes in Mediterranean. Kluwer Academic Publishers Dordrecht, The Netherlands, pp. 65.
Pause, V. G. & P. V. Sukhatme, 1978. Statistical Methods for Agricultural Research Workers, Rupa Publishers, New Delhi.
Sanginga, N., G. D. Bowen & S. K. A. Danso, 1990. Assessment of genetic variability for nitrogen fixation between and within provenances ofLeucaena leucocephala andAcacia albida estimated by 15 N labelling techniques. Pl. Soil 127: 169–178.
Schwintzer, C. R. & S. A. Lancelle, 1983. Effect of water table depth on shoot growth, root growth and nodulation ofMyrica gale seedlings. J. Ecol. 71: 489–501.
Simon, L., A. Stein, S. Cote & M. Lalonde, 1985. Performance ofin vitro propagatedA. glutinosa (L.) Gaerth clones inoculated withFrankia. Pl. Soil. 87: 125–133.
Sloger, C., 1969. Symbiotic effectiveness and nitrogen fixation in nodulated soyabean. Pl. Physiol. 44: 1666–1668.
Sniezko, R. A., 1987. Range wide provenance variation in nodulation ofAcacia albida seedlings. Nitrogen Fixing Tree Res. Reports 5: 20–29.
Sougoufara, B., E. Buhoux & Y. R. Dommergues, 1987. Improvement of nitrogen fixation byCasuarina equisetifolia through clonal selection. Arid Soil Res. and Rehabilitation 1: 129–132.
Toky, O. P. & R. P. Bisht, 1992. Observations on the rooting patterns of some agroforestry trees in an arid region of north-western India. Agroforestry Systems 18: 245–263.
Toky, O. P. & V. Singh, 1993. Above-ground biomass production and nutrient cycling inLeucaena, Acacia andEucalyptus, short rotation, high density (energy) plantations in arid India. J. Arid Environ. (in press).
Vincent, J. M., 1970. A Practical Manual for the Practical Study of Root Nodule Bacteria. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, pp. 160.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Beniwal, R.S., Toky, O.P. & Sharma, P.K. Genetic variability in symbiotic nitrogen fixation between provenances ofAcacia nilotica (L.) Willd. ex Del.. Genet Resour Crop Evol 42, 7–13 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02310679
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02310679