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Diverse bacteria isolated from root nodules of Trifolium, Crotalaria and Mimosa grown in the subtropical regions of China

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Abstract

To analyze the diversity and relationships of rhizobia in the subtropical and tropical zones of China, we characterized 67 bacterial strains isolated from root nodules of five legume species in the genera Trifolium, Crotalaria and Mimosa . PCR-amplified 16S rDNA RFLP, numerical taxonomy, SDS-PAGE of whole cell proteins, sequencing of 16S rDNA and DNA–DNA hybridization grouped the isolates into 17 lineages belonging to Bradyrhizobium, Mesorhizobium, Rhizobium, Sinorhizobium and Burkholderia, as well as a non-symbiotic group of Agrobacterium. The Rhizobium group contained twenty strains isolated from Mimosa pudica, Crotalaria pallida and two species of Trifolium. Fifteen of them were R. leguminosarum. Twenty-one strains isolated from four species of Trifolium, Crotalaria and Mimosa were classified into five groups of Bradyrhizobium, including B. japonicum. Agrobacterium group composed of 20 isolates from Mimosa pudica, C. pallida and Trifolium fragiferum. In addition, several strains of Sinorhizobium and Mesorhizobium associated with Trifolium and Burkholderia associated with Mimosa pudica were also identified. The predominance of Bradyrhizobium in the nodules of Trifolium was a novel finding and it demonstrated that the nodule microsymbionts might be selected by both the geographic factors and the legume hosts.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by the State Key Basic Research and Development Plan of China (grant No. 2001CB108905), by National Project for Basic S & T Platform Construction (grant No.2005DKA30560-1) and by National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 30570001). ETW thanks IPN for the grant of CGPI 20060213.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key laboratory of Agro-Microbial Resource and Application, Ministry of Agriculture/College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100094, China

    Xiao Yun Liu, En Tao Wang, Ying Li & Wen Xin Chen

  2. School of Conservation Biology, Southwest Forestry College, Kunming Yunnan, 650224, China

    Xiao Yun Liu

  3. Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México, DF, México

    En Tao Wang

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  1. Xiao Yun Liu
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Correspondence to Wen Xin Chen.

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Liu, X.Y., Wang, E.T., Li, Y. et al. Diverse bacteria isolated from root nodules of Trifolium, Crotalaria and Mimosa grown in the subtropical regions of China. Arch Microbiol 188, 1–14 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-007-0209-x

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