scholarly journals EFFETS DES SOUCHES DE RHIZOBIUM MELILOTI ET DES COUPES SUCCESSIVES DE LA LUZERNE (MEDICAGO SATIVA) SUR LA FIXATION SYMBIOTIQUE D’AZOTE

1977 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 433-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. BORDELEAU ◽  
H. ANTOUN ◽  
R. A. LACHANCE

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation with 49 isolates of Rhizobium meliloti was studied under controlled environment with alfalfa cv. Saranac. It was shown that plant yield in dry weight can be used as an indirect measurement of nitrogen fixation, and as a criterion for selecting efficient strains of R. meliloti. Statistical study on yields of three cuttings has established that the second cutting gives the most necessary information to correctly evaluate the symbiotic efficiency of the isolates. Six very efficient strains were selected.

2001 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 887-894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boglárka Oláh ◽  
Erno Kiss ◽  
Zoltán Györgypál ◽  
Judit Borzi ◽  
Gyöngyi Cinege ◽  
...  

In specific plant organs, namely the root nodules of alfalfa, fixed nitrogen (ammonia) produced by the symbiotic partner Sinorhizobium meliloti supports the growth of the host plant in nitrogen-depleted environment. Here, we report that a derivative of S. meliloti carrying a mutation in the chromosomal ntrR gene induced nodules with enhanced nitrogen fixation capacity, resulting in an increased dry weight and nitrogen content of alfalfa. The efficient nitrogen fixation is a result of the higher expression level of the nifH gene, encoding one of the subunits of the nitrogenase enzyme, and nifA, the transcriptional regulator of the nif operon. The ntrR gene, controlled negatively by its own product and positively by the symbiotic regulator syrM, is expressed in the same zone of nodules as the nif genes. As a result of the nitrogen-tolerant phenotype of the strain, the beneficial effect of the mutation on efficiency is not abolished in the presence of the exogenous nitrogen source. The ntrR mutant is highly competitive in nodule occupancy compared with the wild-type strain. Sequence analysis of the mutant region revealed a new cluster of genes, termed the “ntrPR operon,” which is highly homologous to a group of vap-related genes of various pathogenic bacteria that are presumably implicated in bacterium-host interactions. On the basis of its favorable properties, the strain is a good candidate for future agricultural utilization.


1992 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 555-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vipin Rastogi ◽  
Monika Labes ◽  
Turlough Finan ◽  
Robert Watson

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation may be limited by the transport of C4 dicarboxylates into bacteroids in the nodule for use as a carbon and energy source. In an attempt to increase dicarboxylate transport, a plasmid was constructed in which the Rhizobium meliloti structural transport gene dctA was fused to a tryptophan operon promoter from Salmonella typhimurium, trpPO. This resulted in a functional dctA gene that was no longer under the control of the dctBD regulatory genes, but the recombinant plasmid was found to be unstable in R. meliloti. To stably integrate the trpPO-dctA fusion, it was recloned into pBR325 and recombined into the R. meliloti exo megaplasmid in the dctABD region. The resultant strain showed constitutive dctA-specific mRNA synthesis which was about 5-fold higher than that found in fully induced wild-type cells. Uptake assays showed that [14C]succinate transport by the trpPO-dctA fusion strain was constitutive, and the transport rate was the same as that of induced control cells. Acetylene reduction assays indicated a significantly higher rate of nitrogen fixation in plants inoculated with the trpPO-dctA fusion strain compared with the control. Despite this apparent increase, the plants had the same top dry weights as those inoculated with control cells. Key words: acetylene reduction, genetic engineering, nodule, plasmid stability, promoter.


1980 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. ANTOUN ◽  
L. M. BORDELEAU ◽  
D. PRÉVOST ◽  
R. A. LACHANCE

Specific activities of the assimilatory and "regulatory" types of nitrate reductase were studied in 41 strains of Rhizobium meliloti having different symbiotic nitrogen fixation activities. Both nitrate reductase enzymes were present in very effective and ineffective strains and no significant correlation was found between the specific activities of the two enzymes and the dry matter yields of alfalfa obtained with the 41 strains. Measurements of the specific activities of the two nitrate reductase enzymes in the vegetative bacteria cannot be used as a rapid physiological test for the selection of very effective strains of R. meliloti.


1979 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilona Barabás ◽  
Tibor Sik

In two out of three pleiotropic mutants of Rhizobium meliloti, defective in nitrate reductase induced by amino acid utilization in vegetative bacteria and in symbiotic nitrogen fixation, nitrogenase activity could be restored completely by purines and partially by the amino acids L-glutamate, L-aspartate, L-glutamine, and L-asparagine. The compounds restoring effectiveness in nitrogen fixation did not restore nitrate reductase activity in vegetative bacteria. The restoration of effectiveness supports our earlier conclusion that the mutation is not in the structural gene for a suggested common subunit of nitrogenase and nitrate reductase.


2007 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. ZAMAN-ALLAH ◽  
B. SIFI ◽  
B. L'TAIEF ◽  
M. H. EL AOUNI ◽  
J. J. DREVON

Osmotic constraints, nutrient deficiencies, especially phosphorus, and the lack of efficient strains of rhizobia in Mediterranean soils are major factors limiting symbiotic nitrogen fixation and yield in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). In order to improve yields, we investigated responses to rhizobial inoculation and P fertilization under glasshouse and field conditions with two bean cultivars, Coco blanc and BAT477. The nodulation test, using a hydroponic system in a glasshouse, revealed strong variability among 22 rhizobium strains of various origins, in their symbiotic efficiency, compared with Rhizobium tropici CIAT899. The introduced strains proved to be more efficient although some local rhizobia revealed high potential efficiencies. Glasshouse trials showed a significant effect of inoculation and P supply on nodulation, N content and shoot dry weight that varied with rhizobial strain. Field trials substantiated the glasshouse observations and emphasized the effects of cultivar-rhizobia interactions on symbiotic parameters and yields. It is concluded that inoculation with suitable rhizobia with supply of additional P is a technology that may improve symbiotic nitrogen fixation and yield in common bean in some soils under a Mediterranean climate.


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