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The effect of mixtures of rhizobium strains on the dry matter production of white clover grown in agar
Author(s) -
MYTTON L. R.,
FELICE J. de
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1977.tb00662.x
Subject(s) - biology , rhizobium , strain (injury) , inoculation , yield (engineering) , agar , dry matter , botany , nitrogen , nitrogen fixation , bacteria , horticulture , agronomy , genetics , physics , anatomy , quantum mechanics , metallurgy , materials science
SUMMARY The effects of mixtures of rhizobium strains on the dry matter production of S. 100 white clover were investigated by growing plants in tubes of agar with four pure strains known to give contrasts in yield effectiveness, and comparing the results with those produced by plants grown with mixtures of these strains, and with those of uninoculated plants receiving mineral nitrogen. It was found that some components of the mixtures influenced yield much more than others and these strains therefore appeared to be strong competitors. Ability to infect and capacities to fix nitrogen were shown to be mechanisms under separate genetic control; thus competitiveness and effectiveness were not necessarily linked. Variation within groups of plants inoculated with the same rhizobium strain was generally greater than within the uninoculated control receiving mineral nitrogen. The amount of variation differed from strain to strain and was largest with the intermediately effective one. The plant genotype could modify the relative competitiveness of rhizobium strains and effective association of plant and rhizobium with a high affinity for each other under competitive situations could be built up by coincidental selection of plant and bacterium.