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Agronomy
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Rhizobium–Legume Symbiosis
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Rhizobium–Legume Symbiosis

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2019) | Viewed by 23882

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Shin Okazaki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo 1838509, Japan
Interests: plant–microbe interactions; sustainability in agriculture; microbial inoculant for crop production

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Legumes establish symbiosis with root nodule bacteria (rhizobia) and form nitrogen-fixing nodules in the roots. This symbiotic nitrogen fixation represents an entranceway of nitrogen into the ecosystem and plays an important role in nitrogen cycle on earth. In agriculture, nitrogen fixation by rhizobia serves as an important nitrogen source for grain legumes like soybean and pea. Also, by utilizing legume crops for green manure, mixed cropping, and intercropping, soil fertility and the productivity of subsequent crops are improved. The inoculation of rhizobia has been carried out for a long time to obtain the benefits of symbiotic nitrogen fixation. However, nodule formation and nitrogen fixation are affected by various biotic and abiotic factors including the compatibility between legumes and rhizobia (host specificity), the competition with indigenous microbiota, and the soil’s chemical properties. For the effective use of rhizobia as an inoculant, selection of inoculant carriers, inoculation method, as well as selection of rhizobia with high competitiveness and nitrogen-fixing abilities should be considered. For the effective use of leguminous plants for mixing and intercropping, the understanding of the effects of combinations of crops, soil nitrogen dynamics, and nutrient circulation is indispensable.

This Special Issue will focus on biotic and abiotic factors controlling legume–rhizobium symbiosis and their utilization in agriculture. We welcome novel research related to understanding the basic principles of legume–rhizobium symbiosis from molecular- to field-level toward the effective use of symbiotic nitrogen fixation in agriculture.

Dr. Shin Okazaki
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Nitrogen fixation
  • Plant–microbe interactions
  • Microbial inoculant/Biofertilizer
  • Mixed cropping/Intercropping
  • Soil fertility
  • Soil microbiota

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2501 KiB  
Article
Effect of Biochar and Irrigation on Soybean-Rhizobium Symbiotic Performance and Soil Enzymatic Activity in Field Rhizosphere
by Hua Ma, Dilfuza Egamberdieva, Stephan Wirth and Sonoko Dorothea Bellingrath-Kimura
Agronomy 2019, 9(10), 626; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9100626 - 10 Oct 2019
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 4460
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) in soybean (Glycine max L.) plants derived from biological nitrogen fixation was shown to be a sustainable N resource to substitute for N fertilizer. However, the limited water supply in sandy soil is a critical factor for soybean nodulation and [...] Read more.
Nitrogen (N) in soybean (Glycine max L.) plants derived from biological nitrogen fixation was shown to be a sustainable N resource to substitute for N fertilizer. However, the limited water supply in sandy soil is a critical factor for soybean nodulation and crop growth. This study investigated the potential mechanism of the effect of biochar and irrigation on the soybean-Rhizobium symbiotic performance and soil biological activity in a field trial. In the absence of N fertilizer, 10 t ha−1 of black cherry wood-derived biochar were applied under irrigated and rainfed conditions on an experimental, sandy field site. The plant biomass, plant nutrient concentrations, nodule number, nodule leghemoglobin content, soil enzyme activities, and soil-available nutrients were examined. Our results show that biochar application caused a significant increase in the nodule number by 35% in the irrigated condition. Shoot biomass and soil fluorescein diacetate hydrolytic activity were significantly increased by irrigation in comparison to the rainfed condition. The activity of soil protease reduced significantly, by 8%, with the biochar application in the irrigated condition. Further, a linear correlation analysis and redundancy analysis performed on the plant, nodule, and soil variables suggested that the biochar application may affect soybean N uptake in the sandy field. Nodulation was enhanced with biochar addition, however, the plant N concentration and nodule Lb content remained unaffected. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rhizobium–Legume Symbiosis)
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20 pages, 3690 KiB  
Article
Appraising Endophyte–Plant Symbiosis for Improved Growth, Nodulation, Nitrogen Fixation and Abiotic Stress Tolerance: An Experimental Investigation with Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)
by Maqshoof Ahmad, Iqra Naseer, Azhar Hussain, Muhammad Zahid Mumtaz, Adnan Mustafa, Thomas H. Hilger, Zahir Ahmad Zahir and Xu Minggang
Agronomy 2019, 9(10), 621; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9100621 - 9 Oct 2019
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 5394
Abstract
Chickpea is an important leguminous crop that improves soil fertility through atmospheric nitrogen fixation with the help of rhizobia present in nodules. Non-rhizobia endophytes are also capable of inducing nodulation and nitrogen fixation in leguminous crops. The aim of the current study was [...] Read more.
Chickpea is an important leguminous crop that improves soil fertility through atmospheric nitrogen fixation with the help of rhizobia present in nodules. Non-rhizobia endophytes are also capable of inducing nodulation and nitrogen fixation in leguminous crops. The aim of the current study was to isolate, characterize and identify the non-rhizobia endophytic bacterial strains from root nodules of chickpea. For this purpose, more than one hundred isolates were isolated from chickpea root nodules under aseptic conditions and were confirmed as endophytes through re-isolating them from root nodules of chickpea after their inoculation. Nineteen confirmed endophytic bacterial strains revealed significant production of indole acetic acid (IAA) both in presence and absence of L-tryptophan and showed their ability to grow under salt, pH and heavy metal stresses. These strains were evaluated for in vitro plant growth promoting (PGP) traits and results revealed that seven strains showed solubilization of P and colloidal chitin along with possessing catalase, oxidase, urease and chitinase activities. Seven P-solubilizing strains were further evaluated in a jar trial to explore their potential for promoting plant growth and induction of nodulation in chickpea roots. Two endophytic strains identified as Paenibacillus polymyxa ANM59 and Paenibacillus sp. ANM76 through partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene showed the maximum potential during in vitro PGP activities and improved plant growth and nodulation in chickpea under the jar trial. Use of these endophytic strains as a potential biofertilizer can help to reduce the dependence on chemical fertilizers while improving crop growth and soil health simultaneously. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rhizobium–Legume Symbiosis)
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12 pages, 1200 KiB  
Article
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Improves Rhizobium–Glycyrrhiza Seedling Symbiosis under Drought Stress
by Zhipeng Hao, Wei Xie, Xuelian Jiang, Zhaoxiang Wu, Xin Zhang and Baodong Chen
Agronomy 2019, 9(10), 572; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9100572 - 23 Sep 2019
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 5090
Abstract
Rhizobia and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can potentially alleviate the abiotic stress on the legume Glycyrrhiza (licorice), while the potential benefits these symbiotic microbes offer to their host plant are strongly influenced by environmental factors. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to investigate [...] Read more.
Rhizobia and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can potentially alleviate the abiotic stress on the legume Glycyrrhiza (licorice), while the potential benefits these symbiotic microbes offer to their host plant are strongly influenced by environmental factors. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of single and combined inoculation with a rhizobium Mesorhizobium tianshanense Chen and an AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis Walker & Schuessler on Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. seedling performance under different water regimes. Drought stress inhibited rhizobium nodulation but increased mycorrhizal colonization. Furthermore, co-inoculation of rhizobium and AM fungus favored nodulation under both well-watered and drought stress conditions. Glycyrrhiza seedling growth showed a high mycorrhizal dependency. The seedlings showed a negative growth dependency to rhizobium under well-watered conditions but showed a positive response under drought stress. R. irregularis-inoculated plants showed a much higher stress tolerance index (STI) value than M. tianshanense-inoculated plants. STI value was more pronounced when plants were co-inoculated with R. irregularis and M. tianshanense compared with single-inoculated plants. Plant nitrogen concentration and contents were significantly influenced by inoculation treatments and water regimes. R. irregularis inoculation significantly increased plant shoot and root phosphorus contents. AM fungus inoculation could improve Glycyrrhiza plant–rhizobium symbiosis under drought stress, thereby suggesting that tripartite symbiotic relationships were more effective for promoting plant growth and enhancing drought tolerance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rhizobium–Legume Symbiosis)
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21 pages, 3119 KiB  
Article
Effect of Salinity Stress and Microbial Inoculations on Glomalin Production and Plant Growth Parameters of Snap Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)
by Claudia Lyl Garcia, Sanku Dattamudi, Saoli Chanda and Krishnaswamy Jayachandran
Agronomy 2019, 9(9), 545; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9090545 - 12 Sep 2019
Cited by 47 | Viewed by 8103
Abstract
Salinity is a major abiotic stress that can adversely affect plant growth, yield, other physiological parameters, and soil health. Salinity stress on biomass production of salt-sensitive crops, like snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), is a serious problem, and specifically in South Florida, [...] Read more.
Salinity is a major abiotic stress that can adversely affect plant growth, yield, other physiological parameters, and soil health. Salinity stress on biomass production of salt-sensitive crops, like snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), is a serious problem, and specifically in South Florida, USA, where saline soils can be found in major agricultural lands. Research studies focused on the ‘snap bean–Rhizobium–arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)’ relationship under salinity stress are limited, and fewer studies have evaluated how this tripartite symbiosis affects glomalin production (GRSP), a glycoprotein released by AMF. A shade house experiment was conducted to elucidate the effects of three microbial inoculations (IC = inoculation control; IT1 = AMF and IT2 = AMF + Rhizobium) on three salinity treatments (SC = salinity control 0.6 dS m−1, S1 = 1.0 dS m−1, and S2 = 2.0 dS m−1) on snap bean growth and yield. Our results indicate that S2 reduced 20% bean biomass production, 11% plant height, 13% root weight, and 23% AMF root colonization. However, microbial inoculations increased 26% bean yield over different salinity treatments. Maximum salinity stress (S2) increased 6% and 18% GRSP production than S1 and SC, respectively, indicating the relative advantage of abiotic stress on AMF’s role in soil. Dual inoculation (IT2) demonstrated a beneficial role on all physiological parameters, biomass production, and GRSP synthesis compared to single inoculation (IT1) treatment with all three salinity levels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rhizobium–Legume Symbiosis)
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