Genetic diversity of rhizobia associated with Desmodium species grown in China.
OBJECTIVE
Desmodia are leguminous plants used as important forage and herbal medicine in China. Little information is available about the nodule bacteria of Desmodium species. To understand the genetic diversity of rhizobia associated with Desmodium species grown in China, isolates from temperate and subtropical regions were obtained and analysed.


RESULTS
A total of 39 rhizobial strains isolated from 9 Desmodium species grown in China were characterized by PCR-based 16S rDNA gene and 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer gene restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results showed high diversity among rhizobia symbiotic with Desmodium species. Most microsymbionts of Desmodium species belonged to Bradyrhizobium closely related to Bradyrhizobium elkanii, Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Bradyrhizobium yuanmingense. Several small groups or single strain were related to Rhizobium, Sinorhizobium or Mesorhizobium.


CONCLUSIONS
Desmodium species formed nodules with diverse rhizobia in Chinese soils.


CONCLUSIONS
These results offered the first systematic information about the microsymbionts of desmodia grown in the temperate and subtropical regions of China.
Gu
J
J
Key Laboratory of Agro-Microbial Resource and Application, Ministry of Agriculture/College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Wang
E T
ET
Chen
W X
WX
D020369:Bradyrhizobium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D002681:China; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000382:microbiology*; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D014644:Genetic Variation; D010802:Phylogeny; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012230:Rhizobiaceae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D012231:Rhizobium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D012988:Soil Microbiology
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S