Summary
Six fast-growing soybean rhizobia (Rhizobium fredii) and thirteen slow-growing soybean rhizobia (Bradyrhizobium japonicum) were examined for resistance to 10 antibiotics. Axenic studies were carried out to determine the competitiveness of dual-strain inocula consisting of fast- and slow-growing rhizobia isolated from subtropical-tropical soils for nodule occupancy on a hybrid of Asian and US soybean cultivars. Nodule occupancy was determined by intrinsic resistance to erythromycin and neomycin. The results showed wide variability in resistance to 10 antibiotics for fast- and slow-growing rhizobia. The intrinsic antibiotic resistance of fast- and slow-growing rhizobia was extremely high against nalidixic acid (400 μg ml−1) and penicillin (200 μg ml−1). The competitive ability of inoculant strains for nodule occupancy varied for different combination sets and with the plant growing media. Our results show that fast-growing rhizobia nodulate a hybrid of Asian and US soybean cultivars. Fast-growing soybean rhizobia did not completely exclude nodulation by the slow-growing strains, which formed 0–79% nodules, depending on the strain used in the inoculum.
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Young, C.C., Chao, C.C. Intrinsic antibiotic resistance and competition in fast- and slow-growing soybean rhizobia on a hybrid of Asian and US cultivars. Biol Fert Soils 8, 66–70 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00260518
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00260518