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Co-inoculation of Bradyrhizobium stimulates the symbiosis efficiency of Rhizobium with common bean

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Abstract

Background and aims

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) nodulates with a wide range of rhizobia. Amongst these is Bradyrhizobium, which is inefficient but able to induce profuse nodulation on this crop. Based on this observation, we tested whether co-inoculating bradyrhizobia with a more standard common bean symbiont, Rhizobium tropici, could stimulate growth and nodulation of common bean, thus contributing to a more effective symbiosis.

Methods

Rhizobium tropici was co-inoculated with two Bradyrhizobium strains applied at three different doses (104, 106, and 108 CFU seed−1) under sterile conditions, and at a single dose (108 CFU seed−1) in non-sterile soil. Plant biomass, nodulation, and N accumulation in plant tissues were evaluated.

Results

Co-inoculated plants produced more nodules, and accumulated more shoot dry biomass and nitrogen than plants inoculated with R. tropici alone under gnotobiotic conditions. Significant responses were observed at the highest inoculum dose and a significant correlation between dose and shoot dry weight was observed. Co-inoculation increased biomass and N accumulation in non-sterile soil, although with a smaller magnitude.

Conclusions

Altogether, our findings suggest that the co-inoculation with bradyrhizobia contributed to an improved symbiotic interaction between R. tropici and common beans.

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Abbreviations

CFU:

Colony-forming unit

PGPR:

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria

EPS:

Exopolysaccharides

LPS:

Lipopolysaccharides

CPS:

Capsular polysaccharides

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. José Ivo Baldani and Dr. Robert Michael Boddey for reading the manuscript and giving suggestions to improve it. We also thank Dr. Andréia Loviane Silva for helping us with the acetylene reduction analysis; Wilson Cabral da Fonseca for helping us with microscopy sections; and Ernani Meirelles and his staff for giving support with the greenhouse experiments. We acknowledge the financial research support from Embrapa; the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes), which provided a Masters scholarship to Rafael de Almeida Leite; and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), which provided a scholarship to Osnar Obede da Silva Aragão, and a research fellowship to Ederson da Conceição Jesus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Embrapa Agrobiologia, BR 465, km 7, s/n, Ecologia, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 23.891-000, Brazil

    Ederson da Conceição Jesus

  2. Departamento de Solos, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, BR 465, km 7, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 23890-000, Brazil

    Rafael de Almeida Leite, Rennan do Amaral Bastos, Osnar Obede da Silva Aragão & Adelson Paulo Araújo

  3. IFAC - Campus Cruzeiro do Sul, Estrada da APADEQ, nº 1.192, Ramal da Fazenda Modelo, Bairro Nova Olinda, Cruzeiro do Sul-AC, CEP 69980-000, Brazil

    Rennan do Amaral Bastos

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  1. Ederson da Conceição Jesus
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  2. Rafael de Almeida Leite
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  3. Rennan do Amaral Bastos
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  4. Osnar Obede da Silva Aragão
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Correspondence to Ederson da Conceição Jesus.

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Jesus, E.d., Leite, R.d., Bastos, R.d. et al. Co-inoculation of Bradyrhizobium stimulates the symbiosis efficiency of Rhizobium with common bean. Plant Soil 425, 201–215 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3541-1

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