Mixture of endophytic Agrobacterium and Sinorhizobium meliloti strains could induce nonspecific nodulation on some woody legumes

• DOI: 10.1007/s00203-010-0543-2
• Publication Date: 2010-01-22T11:25:23Z
• Authors: Jie Liu; En Tao Wang; Da Wei Ren; Wen Xin Chen
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; 03 medical and health sciences; Bacterial Proteins; Fabaceae; Symbiosis; Plant Root Nodulation; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Rhizobium; Sinorhizobium meliloti

Agrobacterium sp. II CCBAU 21244 isolated from root nodules of Wisteria sinensis was verified as an endophytic bacterium by inoculation and reisolation tests. However, inoculation with a mixture of this strain and a Sinorhizobium meliloti strain could induce root nodules on W. sinensis and two other woody legumes, which do not form a symbiosis with S. meliloti alone. Rod-shaped and irregular nodules were found on the inoculated plants, in which the S. meliloti strain was detected in all of the nodules; while the Agrobacterium strain was inside of the rod-shaped nodules, or occupied only the nodule surface of the irregular globe-shaped nodules. These findings revealed novel interactions among the symbiotic bacteria, endophytic bacteria and the legume plants, although the mechanisms are still unknown.