Abstract
Nitrogen is the most limiting nutrient for growth of most crop plants in sub-Saharan Africa and legume crops largely depend on fixed nitrogen from indigenous nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The identification and symbiotic characterization of indigenous rhizobia is the basis for inoculants formulation for sustainable legume production in the face of climate change. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diversity of indigenous rhizobia responsible for cowpea nodulation in farmers’ fields across three Counties of Western Kenya. The symbiotic performance of abiotic stress-tolerant rhizobia in their homologous cowpea was also assessed. The results showed high genetic variability among the rhizobia isolates based on morphology and ERIC-PCR fingerprinting. Nine indigenous rhizobia isolates tolerant to extreme temperature, salinity and pH were tested for symbiotic efficiency in a glasshouse experiment. The rhizobia isolates were able to efficiently nodulate cowpea and showed wide variations in their symbiotic efficiency (SE). Five isolates (M2bii, B6ii, B2i, V5ii and V11i) showed significantly higher SE (p < 0.001) ranging from 114.6–179.6% compared to the commercial inoculant (CIAT 899) and N supplemented treatment. Further, six isolates with variability in symbiotic efficiencies were subjected to nifH symbiotic gene sequencing and confirmed their identities as Bradyrhizobium and Rhizobium. These isolates have potential for inoculant formulation. The results indicates the existence of indigenous rhizobia isolates which can tolerate environmental stresses and are symbiotically effective and thus can be developed into inoculants to improve the productivity of cowpea in Kenya.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Rhizobia isolates showed high genetic variability by morphology and ERIC-PCR.
- Taxon
- cowpea
Vigna unguiculatat0 - Interactor
- rhizobia isolatese0symbiont
- Outcome
- high genetic variability among the rhizobia isolatese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“high genetic variability among the rhizobia isolates based on morphology and ERIC-PCR fingerprinting”
t0“cowpea”
Claim · model-written summary
Nine indigenous rhizobia isolates tolerated extreme temperature, salinity and pH.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Interactor
- rhizobia isolatese0symbiont
- Outcome
- rhizobia isolates tolerant to extreme temperature, salinity and pHe0
- Value
- Ninee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Nine indigenous rhizobia isolates tolerant to extreme temperature, salinity and pH”
t0“cowpea”
Claim · model-written summary
The rhizobia isolates efficiently nodulated cowpea.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatae0
- Interactor
- rhizobia isolatese0symbiont
- Outcome
- efficiently nodulate cowpeae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The rhizobia isolates were able to efficiently nodulate cowpea”
Claim · model-written summary
Rhizobia isolates varied widely in symbiotic efficiency.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Outcome
- wide variations in their symbiotic efficiency (SE)e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“showed wide variations in their symbiotic efficiency (SE)”
e1“The rhizobia isolates were able to efficiently nodulate cowpea”
t0“cowpea”
Claim · model-written summary
Five isolates had significantly higher symbiotic efficiency of 114.6–179.6% than CIAT 899 and N supplementation.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Treatment
- Five isolates (M2bii, B6ii, B2i, V5ii and V11i)e0
- Interactor
- Five isolates (M2bii, B6ii, B2i, V5ii and V11i)e0symbiont
- Outcome
- SEe0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 114.6–179.6%e0
- Comparator
- commercial inoculant (CIAT 899) and N supplemented treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Five isolates (M2bii, B6ii, B2i, V5ii and V11i) showed significantly higher SE (p < 0.001) ranging from 114.6–179.6% compared to the commercial inoculant (CIAT 899) and N supplemented treatment”
t0“cowpea”
Claim · model-written summary
Six isolates were identified as Bradyrhizobium and Rhizobium by nifH sequencing.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Interactor
- Bradyrhizobium and Rhizobium
Bradyrhizobium
Rhizobiume0symbiont - Gene
- nifHe0
- Outcome
- confirmed their identities as Bradyrhizobium and Rhizobiume0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“six isolates with variability in symbiotic efficiencies were subjected to nifH symbiotic gene sequencing and confirmed their identities as Bradyrhizobium and Rhizobium”
t0“cowpea”