title: Phenotypic and molecular characterization of chickpea rhizobia isolated from different areas of Tunisia.
abstract: Several phenotypic markers were used in this study to determine the biodiversity of rhizobial strains nodulating Cicer arietinum L. in various areas of Tunisia. They include symbiotic traits, the use of 21 biochemical substrates, and tolerance to salinity and pH. In addition, restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of PCR-amplified 16S rDNA were compared with those of reference strains. Numeric analysis of the phenotypic characteristics showed that the 48 strains studied fell into three distinct groups. This heterogeneity was highly supported by the RFLP analysis of 16S rRNA genes, and two ribotypes were identified. Chickpea rhizobia isolated from Tunisian soils are both phenotypically and genetically diverse. Results showed that 40 and 8 isolates were assigned, respectively, to Mesorhizobium ciceri and Mesorhizobium mediterraneum.
authors.affiliation: Département de Biologie, Faculté de Sciences de Tunis, Campus Universitaire 1060, Tunisia. lboulaba@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Boulbaba
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: L'taief
authors.forename: Bouaziz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sifi
authors.forename: Maher
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gtari
authors.forename: Mainassara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zaman-Allah
authors.forename: Mokhtar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lachaâl
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D029863:Cicer / Q000382:microbiology*; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000032:analysis; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012231:Rhizobium / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013559:Symbiosis; D014416:Tunisia
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012965:Sodium Chloride