article · Canadian Journal of Microbiology
Forty-two chickpea-nodulating rhizobia were isolated from soil samples across diverse agro-ecological zones in Ethiopia and characterised using seventy-six phenotypic traits. Numerical analysis divided these strains into four distinct phenotypic clusters. Genetic analysis of eighteen representative strains using the 16S rRNA gene confirmed that all belonged to the Mesorhizobium genus. Multilocus sequence analysis of core genes distributed these representative strains across four genospecies, identified as Mesorhizobium ciceri, Mesorhizobium abyssinicae, Mesorhizobium shonense, and a potentially novel unnamed Mesorhizobium species. Analysis of symbiosis-related genes placed the strains in a single cluster alongside previously described chickpea symbionts. The findings confirm that Ethiopian soils contain phylogenetically diverse Mesorhizobium species. Furthermore, differences in symbiotic effectiveness observed among the strains suggest that superior candidates could be selected for bioinoculant development to enhance chickpea crop yields.
Chickpea is a valuable pulse crop whose growth can be boosted naturally by soil bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen. By mapping the diversity of native Mesorhizobium strains in Ethiopian soils, this work demonstrates the availability of local, naturally adapted soil microbes. Tapping into these native bacteria can help researchers identify superior strains to support sustainable pulse production without relying heavily on synthetic chemical fertilisers.
This early-stage research could eventually inform the production of targeted biofertilisers and bacterial inoculants for pulse growers and commercial agriculture. The primary users would be biofertiliser manufacturers and agricultural development agencies seeking effective native strains. However, because the study is limited to laboratory isolation and phylogenetic characterisation, the technology is at a very early stage and requires extensive agronomic evaluation and field-scale formulation before commercial release.
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Forty-two chickpea-nodulating rhizobia were isolated from soil samples collected from diverse agro-ecological locations of Ethiopia and were characterized on the basis of 76 phenotypic traits. Furthermore, 18 representative strains were selected and characterized using multilocus sequence analyses of core and symbiotic gene loci. Numerical analysis of the phenotypic characteristics grouped the 42 strains into 4 distinct clusters. The analysis of the 16S rRNA gene of the 18 strains showed that they belong to the Mesorhizobium genus. On the basis of the phylogenetic tree constructed from the combined genes sequences (recA, atpD, glnII, and gyrB), the test strains were distributed into 4 genospecies (designated as genospecies I-IV). Genospecies I, II, and III could be classified with Mesorhizobium ciceri, Mesorhizobium abyssinicae, and Mesorhizobium shonense, respectively, while genospecies IV might represent an unnamed Mesorhizobium genospecies. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on the symbiosis-related (nifH and nodA) genes supported a single cluster together with a previously described symbiont of chickpea (M. ciceri and Mesorhizobium mediterraneum). Overall, our results corroborate earlier findings that Ethiopian soils harbor phylogenetically diverse Mesorhizobium species, justifying further explorative studies. The observed differences in symbiotic effectiveness indicated the potential to select effective strains for use as inoculants and to improve the productivity of chickpea in the country.
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DOI: 10.1139/cjm-2016-0776
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