Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-cnmwb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-17T09:08:11.387Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Utility of Rhizobium in the phyllosphere of crop plants: two-way exchange of metabolites between Rhizobium and the host plant

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

A. S. Nandi
Affiliation:
Department of Botany, University of Kalyani, Kalyani-741235, India
S. P. Sen
Affiliation:
Department of Botany, University of Kalyani, Kalyani-741235, India

Summary

The nature of the ectosymbiotic association between Rhizobium and such legume leaves as Bengal gram and mung bean was investigated using radioactively labelled compounds. About 8% of the 14CO2 fixed photosynthetically in the 70% ethanol soluble fraction was leached out within 1 h of contact with water. The 14C-compounds leached out include sucrose, serine glycine, glutamic acid, malate, alanine and succinate. A part of the 14C-activity was incorporated by Rhizobium cells sprayed on leaves. Association with rhizobia increased the rate of photosynthesis and leaching by 129–240% and 134–281%, respectively. Bacterial metabolites are translocated along the midribs and veins to different plant parts. The beneficial effects are not restricted to members of the same cross-inoculation group.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1982

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bessems, E. P. M. (1973). Nitrogen fixation in the phyllosphere of Gramineae. Thesis, Wageningen.Google Scholar
Nandi, A. S., Sengupta, B. & Sen, S. P. (1982 a). Utility of Rhizobium in the phyllosphere of crop plants in nitrogen-free sand culture. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 98, 167171.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nandi, A. S., Sengupta, B. & Sen, S. P. (1982 b). Utility of Rhizobium in the phyllosphere of crop plants under field conditions. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 98, 173177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pate, J. S. (1971). Movements of nitrogenous solutes in plants. In Nitrogen-15 in Soil Plant Studies. Proceedings of a Research Coordination Meeting on Recent Development in the Use of Nitrogen-15 in Soil Plant Studies held in Sofia in 1969, pp. 165187. Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency.Google Scholar
Sengupta, B. & Sen, S. P. (1979). Two-way exchange of metabolites between phyllosphere N2-fixing microorganisms and the host plant. Proceedings of the 66th Indian Science Congress, Hyderabad, Botany Section.Google Scholar
Tukey, H. B. (1970). The leaching of substances from plants. Annual Review of Plant Physiology 21, 305324.CrossRefGoogle Scholar