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Similarity in Response of Species of Trifolium to Strains of Rhizobium trifolii
Author(s) -
Burton Joe C.,
Briggeman Donald S.
Publication year - 1949
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1949.036159950013000c0049x
Subject(s) - similarity (geometry) , citation , editorial board , horticulture , library science , biology , computer science , artificial intelligence , image (mathematics)
P in the genus, Trifolium, are playing an ever increasing part in world agriculture. The many species in this genus show wide variation in adaptation, growth habits, and usage. The ever increasing popularity of the true clovers has been due, in part, to their ability to work symbiotically with root nodule bacteria, utilize atmospheric nitrogen, and produce high protein hay and pasture on soils of low fertility level. To obtain the bes.t results each species must have the proper legume bacteria. During the last decade experiments with strains of Rhizobium trifolii on different true clovers have shown clearly that host plants vary greatly in the benefit they get from a strain of the clover root nodule bacteria. In 1936 Madhok (6) found that rhizobia from Trifolium alexandrinum (berseem clover) cross-inoculated with T. resupinatum (Persian clover). Strong (7) in 1937 working with eight strains, four isolated from T. sublerraneum (subterranean clover), two from T. prae tense (red clover), and two from T. repens (white dutch clover), found that the isolations from subterranean clover were effective on the parent host plant but ineffective on the two last named species. The red and white dutch clover isolates were not effective on subterranean clover. Erdman and Burton (3) reported in 1940 the results from inoculating red clover and crimson clover with four strains of rhizobia two of which were isolated from red clover, one from cluster clover (T. glomeratum) and one from crimson clover (T. incarnatum). All were effective on red clover except the strain from cluster clover. On crimson clover, all were effective except one of the red clover strains. In 1945 Vincent (8) reported seven different patterns of effectiveness from inoculating red, subterranean, ball or cluster and white dutch clovers with 18 strains of R. trifolii isolated from five different host plants. Subterranean and ball clovers showed a significant agreement in their behavior to the same strains. In a similar study Erdman (4) reported, in 1946, the effects of 15 different strains of R. trifolii isolated from 10 different host plants upon T. alexandrinum, T. fragiferum, T. subtenaneum and T. resupinatum. Except for three strains which proved to be highly effective on all the test plants, no patterns of response were established either for host plant or strains of bacteria. The experiments reported here are nitrogen fixation studies employing seven species of Trifolium in combination with 10 different strains of rhizobia isolated from seven different species of'clover.