Abstract
Parasponia remains the only non-legume known to nodulate with Rhizobium/Bradyrhizobium. It is a pioneer plant that is capable of rapid growth and fixing large quantities of nitrogen. In addition to its high agronomic potential, the symbiosis offers the scientist the unique opportunity of studying differences at the molecular level of both partners, and to investigate any possible extension of the symbiosis to other non-legumes of importance. Haemoglobin has been found in the nodule tissue of Parasponia and other nodulated non-legumes and the gene for it has been found and expressed in non-nodulating plants such as Trema tomentosa and Celtis australis. Bradyrhizobium strains isolated from species of Parasponia growing in Papua New Guinea form a group that are more specific in their host requirements than Bradyrhizobium strains from tropical legumes from the same area. They do not effectively nodulate (except CP283) tropical legumes, and Parasponia is not readily nodulated with Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium strains from legumes. The effectiveness of the symbiosis is influenced by host species, the Bradyrhizobium strain and the environment. Parasponia andersonii forms a more effective symbiosis than the other species tested. In competition studies with strains from legumes, isolates from Parasponia always dominate in nodules on Parasponia.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Akkermans A D L, Abdulkadir S and Trinick M J 1978 N2-fixing root nodules in Ulmaceae: Parasponia or (and) Trema spp.? Plant and Soil 49, 145–149.
Appleby C A, Bogusz D, Dennis E S, Dudman W F, Fleming A I, Higgins J, Kortt A A, Landsmann J, Peacock W J, Tjepkema J D, Trinick M J, Wittenberg B A and Wittenberg J B 1986 The origin and survival of plant haemoglobin genes. In Proceedings of the 8th Australian Legume Nodulation Conference, held in association with The Australian Institute of Agricultural Science, AIAS Occasional Publication No 25, p77.
Appleby C A, Tjepkema J D and Trinick M J 1983 Haemoglobin in a non-legume plant, Parasponia: Possible genetic origin and function in nitrogen fixation. Science 220, 951–953.
Athar M and Mamood A 1981 Extension of Rhizobium host range to Zygophyllaceae. In Current Perspectives in Nitrogen Fixation. Eds. A H Gibson and W E Newton, p. 481. Aust. Acad. Science, Canberra.
Becking J H 1983 The Parasponia parviflora — Rhizobium symbiosis: Host specificity, growth and nitrogen fixation under various conditions. Plant and Soil 75, 309–342.
Bogusz D, Appleby C A, Landsmann J, Dennis E S, Trinick M J and Peacock J W 1988 Functioning haemoglobin genes in non-nodulating plants. Nature (London) 331, 178–180.
Faria S M de, Mclnroy S G and Sprent J I 1987 The occurrence of infected cells, with persistent infection threads, in legume root nodules. Can. J. Bot. 65, 553–558.
Faria S M de, Sutherland J M and Sprent J I 1986 A new type of infected cell in root nodules of Andira spp. (Leguminosae). Plant Sci. 45, 143–147.
Fleming A I, Wittenberg J B, Wittenberg B A, Dudman W F and Appleby C A 1987 The purification, characterisation and lignand binding kinetics of hemoglobins from root nodules of the non-leguminous Casuarina glauca-Frankia symbiosis. Biochim. Biophys. Acta (in press).
Herridge D F 1982 Assessment of nitrogen fixation. In Nitrogen Fixation in Legumes. Ed. J M Vincent, pp 123–136. Academic Press.
Hirsch A M, Drake D, Jacobs T W and Long S R 1985 Nodules are induced on alfalfa roots by Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Rhizobium trifolii containing small segments of the Rhizobium meliloti nodulation region. J. Bacteriol. 161, 223–230.
Hrabek E M, Truchet G L, Dazzo F B and Govers F 1985 Characterization of the anomalous infection and nodulation of subterranean clover roots by Rhizobium leguminosarum 1020. J. Gen. Microbiol. 131, 3287–3302.
Jordan J D 1982 Transfer of Rhizobium japonicum Buchanan 1980 to Bradyrhizobium gen. mov., a genus of slow-growing root nodule bacteria from leguminous plants. Inst. J. System. Bacteriol. 32, 136–139.
Lancelle S A and Torrey J G 1984 Early development of Rhizobium-induced root nodules of Parasponia rigida I. Infection and early nodule initiation. Protoplasma 123, 26–37.
Landsmann J, Dennis E S, Higgins T J V, Appleby C A, Kortt A A and Peacock W J 1986 Common evolutionary origin of legume and non-legume plant haemoglobins. Nature 324, 166–168.
Marvel D J, Torrey J G and Ausubel F M 1987 Rhizobium symbiotic genes required for nodulation of legume and non-legume hosts. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 84, 1319–1323.
Scott K F 1986 Conserved nodulation genes from the non-legume symbiont Bradyrhizobium sp. (Parasponia). Nucleic Acid Res. 14, 2905–2919.
Soepadmo E 1977 Ulmaceae. In Flora Malesiana Ser. 1, vol. 8. Ed. C G G J van Steenis. pp 31–76. Noordhoff n.y. Jakarta.
Tjepkema J D 1983 Hemoglobins in the nitrogen-fixing root nodules of actinorhizal plants. Can. J. Bot. 61, 2924–2929.
Trinick M J 1979 Structure of nitrogen fixing root nodules formed on Parasponia andersonii Planch. Can. J. Microbiol. 25, 565–578.
Trinick M J 1980a Growth of Parasponia in agar tube culture and symbiotic effectiveness of isolates from Parasponia sp. New Phytol. 85, 37–45.
Trinick M J 1980b Effects of oxygen, temperature and other factors on the reduction of acetylene by root nodules formed by Rhizobium on Parasponia andersonii Planch. New Phytol. 86, 27–38.
Trinick M J 1981 The effective rhizobium symbiosis with the non-legume Parasponia andersonii. In Current Perspectives in Nitrogen Fixation. Eds. A H Gibson and W E Newton, p 480. Aust. Acad. Science, Canberra.
Trinick M J 1982 Biology. In Nitrogen Fixation, volume 2. Ed. W J Broughton. pp. 76–146. Oxford University Press, New York.
Trinick M J 1987 Bradyrhizobium of the non-legume, Parasponia. In Microbiology in Action, a tribute to James M. Vincecnt, held at the Sydney University July, 1986. Eds. I R Kennedy and W G Murrell. John Wiley and Sons, U.K. In press.
Trinick M J and Appleby C A 1984 The rhizobia of Parasponia. In The Seventh Australian Legume Nodulation Conference, held in association with the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science, AIAS Occasional Publication No 12. pp 87–88.
Trinick M J and Galbraith J 1980 The Rhizobium requirements of the non-legume Parasponia in relationship to the cross-inoculation group concept of legumes. New Phytol. 86, 17–26.
Trinick M J and Hadobas PA 1986 Nodulation of Trifolium repens with naturally modified Rhizobium from Parasponia. In The Eighth Australian Legume Nodulation Conference, held in association with the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science, AIAS Occasional Publication No 25, pp 87–88.
Vietmeyer N and Cottom B 1977 Leucaena — Promising Forage and Tree Crop for the Tropics. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.
Vincent J M 1980 Factors Controlling the Legume — Rhizobium Symbiosis. In Nitrogen Fixation, Volume 11. Eds. W E Newton and W H Orme-Johnson, pp. 103–129.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Trinick, M.J., Hadobas, P.A. (1989). Biology of the Pavasponia-Bradyrhizobium symbiosis. In: Skinner, F.A., Boddey, R.M., Fendrik, I. (eds) Nitrogen Fixation with Non-Legumes. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 35. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0889-5_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0889-5_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6888-8
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-0889-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive