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Sensitivity of selected Frankia isolates from Casuarina, Allocasuarina and North American host plants to sodium chloride
Author(s) -
Dawson Jeffrey O.,
Gibson Alan H.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1987.tb06144.x
Subject(s) - casuarina , frankia , nitrogenase , biology , yeast extract , botany , nitrogen fixation , microbiology and biotechnology , food science , fermentation , bacteria , root nodule , genetics
Three experiments examined the effects of NaCl concentrations 0 to 500 mM on the growth of isolates of Frankia from Casuarinaceae and selected North American host plants. Four Casuarina isolates grew well in defined medium (pyruvate‐BAP) but not in a yeast extract medium. Conversely the non‐Casuarina isolates preferred the yeast‐extract medium, although two of them grew in the defined medium. When grown in their preferred medium, the Casuarina isolates were little affected by NaCl concentrations up to 200 m M but did not grow at 500 m M . The non‐Casuarina isolates, with the exception of an isolate from Purshia tridentata . were severely affected above 50 m M NaCl. Nitrogenase activity (C 2 H 2 reduction) by the non‐Casuarina isolates could not be detected in low‐N medium although protein determinations indicated that a low level of nitrogen fixation had occurred. All four Casuarina isolates showed nitrogenase activity in culture, up to 200 m M NaCl, although at that concentration of NaCl, growth was affected more than that of cultures in N‐supplemented medium. All four strains showed a marked increase in nitrogenase activity up to 72 h after the addition of C 2 H 2 , with the magnitude of the effect and their subsequent behaviour being strain dependent. The results indicate that the isolates of Frankia from Casuarina and Allocasuarina , and that from Purshia tridentata , are more tolerant of NaCl than isolates from species not normally growing under sodic conditions. They provide optimism that these strains could successfully establish in saline soils if introduced with species of host plants tolerant to these soils.