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Rhizobium strains that nodulate Trifolium semipilosum Fres. are phylogenetically distinct

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Abstract

The genetic relationships of Rhizobium isolated from temperate and tropical perennial Trifolium species were investigated using PCR-based nucleotide sequence analysis of 16S and 23S rDNA regions. Comparative analysis of partial 23S rDNA sequences clustered Rhizobium isolates effective with T. semipilosum, T. repens, T. pratense, T. hybridum and T. fragiferum into two distinct groups. These groups were consistent with the pattern of symbiotic effectiveness observed in cross-inoculation experiments. Our data suggested that strains from T. semipilosum were more closely related phylogenetically to R. etli, indicating that these strains do not belong in the R. leguminosarum bv trifolii group. Further differentiation of Rhizobium strains effective on T. semipilosum was reflected in the broader metabolic profile observed using the BIOLOG MicroPlate TM system to evaluate carbon utilization.

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  1. Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C, V6T 1Z4

    Mesfin Tesfaye & F. B. Holl

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  1. Mesfin Tesfaye
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  2. F. B. Holl
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Tesfaye, M., Holl, F.B. Rhizobium strains that nodulate Trifolium semipilosum Fres. are phylogenetically distinct. Plant Soil 207, 147–154 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026408928279

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