Genetic diversity and distribution of Bradyrhizobium and Azorhizobium strains associated with the herb legume Zornia glochidiata sampled from across Senegal

• Published in: Systematic and applied microbiology 2009-09, Vol.32 (6), p.387-399
• Main Authors: Gueye, F., Moulin, L., Sylla, S., Ndoye, I., Béna, G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: AFLP; Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis; Azorhizobium; Azorhizobium - classification; Azorhizobium - genetics; Azorhizobium - isolation & purification; Azorhizobium - physiology; Bacteria; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Bradyrhizobium; Bradyrhizobium - classification; Bradyrhizobium - genetics; Bradyrhizobium - isolation & purification; Bradyrhizobium - physiology; Bradyrhizobium japonicum; Bradyrhizobium liaoningense; Bradyrhizobium yuanmingense; DNA, Bacterial - analysis; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer - analysis; Fabaceae - microbiology; Genes, rRNA; Genetic Variation; Molecular Sequence Data; Nitrogen Fixation; Parasitism; Phylogeny; Plant Roots - microbiology; Rec A Recombinases - genetics; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; RNA, Ribosomal, 23S - genetics; Senegal; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Species Specificity; Symbioses; Symbiosis; Zornia; Zornia glochidiata
• ISSN: 0723-2020; 1618-0984
• DOI: 10.1016/j.syapm.2009.04.004

Herb legumes have great potential for rehabilitation of semi-arid degraded soils in Sahelian ecosystems as they establish mutualistic symbiosis with N 2-fixing rhizobia. A phylogenetic analysis was performed for 78 root nodule bacteria associated with the common Sahelian herb legume Zornia glochidiata Reichb ex DC in Senegal. Based on ITS (rDNA16S-23S) and recA sequences, these strains were shown to belong to the two genera Bradyrhizobium and Azorhizobium. Strains of this latter, although frequent, formed small and ineffective nodules and suggested a parasitism rather than a symbiotic association. A potential negative effect of Azorhizobium on Zornia growth was tested for when inoculated alone or in association with a Bradyrhizobium strain. Bradyrhizobium isolates were distributed in four groups. Groups A and B were two sister clades in a larger monophyletic group also including Bradyrhizobium liaoningense, Bradyrhizobium yuanmingense, and Bradyrhizobium japonicum. Strains of cluster D fell in a sister clade of the photosynthetic Bradyrhizobium sp. group, including ORS278, whereas group C appeared to be divergent from all known Bradyrhizobium clusters. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) clustering was congruent with ITS and recA phylogenies, but displayed much more variability. However, within the main Bradyrhizobium clades, no obvious relationship could be detected between clustering and geographical origin of the strains. Each sub-cluster included strains sampled from different locations. Conversely, Azorhizobium strains showed a tendency in the phylogeny to group together according to the site of sampling. The predominance of ineffective Azorhizobium strains in the nodules of Zornia roots, the large Bradyrhizobium genetic diversity and the geographical genetic diversity pattern are explored.