Isolation from soil of <i>Rhizobium leguminosarum</i> lacking symbiotic information

Abstract

Bacteria resembling Rhizobium leguminosarum, but lacking symbiotic information, were isolated from soil of two different geographical origins. One of these bacteria belongs to a previously described Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. phaseoli somatic serogroup, is fully complemented for nodulation and nitrogen fixation by an R. leguminosarum bv. phaseoli symbiotic plasmid, and is able to compete for bean nodulation with indigenous R. leguminosarum bv. phaseoli strains. This is the first report giving evidence for persistence in soil of Rhizobium lacking symbiotic information.Key words: Rhizobium ecology, symbiotic plasmid, nodulation, plasmid transfer.