Electronic Journal of Polish Agricultural Universities (EJPAU) founded by all Polish Agriculture Universities presents original papers and review articles relevant to all aspects of agricultural sciences. It is target for persons working both in science and industry,regulatory agencies or teaching in agricultural sector. Covered by IFIS Publishing (Food Science and Technology Abstracts), ELSEVIER Science - Food Science and Technology Program, CAS USA (Chemical Abstracts), CABI Publishing UK and ALPSP (Association of Learned and Professional Society Publisher - full membership). Presented in the Master List of Thomson ISI.

Copyright © Wydawnictwo Akademii Rolniczej we Wroclawiu, ISSN 1505-0297

Bongo A. , Pietr S. 2019. BIODIVERSITY OF NITROGEN FIXING INDIGENOUS RHIZOBIA NODULATING COMMON BEAN (PHASEOLUS VULGARIS L.), COWPEA (VIGNA UNGUICULATA (L.) WALP.), SOYBEAN (GLYCINE MAX L. MERRY), AND OTHERS PULSES ISOLATED FROM SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA SOILS. A REVIEW
DOI:10.30825/5.ejpau.180.2019.22.4, EJPAU 22(4), #03.
Available Online: http://www.ejpau.media.pl/volume22/issue4/abs-03.html

ABSTRACT

Among Fabaceae cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.), common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), and soybean (Glycine max L. Merry) are the major pulse crops grown in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), however, the yield remains very low due to the low efficacy of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) process. Improvement of the yields is possible only in the presence of an efficient BNF rhizobia strains that can be either native or exogenous introduced as a seed inoculants capable to establish effective symbiotic interactions with their legume crops. There are very few studies targeting the phenotypic and genetic characterization of effective indigenous symbiotic rhizobia of Fabaceae plants in Sub-Saharan Africa ecozones. This review describes nearly 100 BNF rhizobia out of about 4000 indigenous strains isolated from soils and root nodules of pulses from different SSA ecozones. Most of these isolates outperformed reference strains and most of the commercial inoculants. The majority of the described indigenous isolates effectively nodulating common bean roots were identified as Rhizobium etli, R. leguminosarum, R. leguminosarum sv. phaseoli and R. tropici, whereas potent diazotrophs symbionts of soybean and cowpea were identified as Bradyrhizobium elkanii and B. japonicum. In addition, some strains of B. yuamingense were found to be beneficial as inoculates for cowpea along with several unidentified isolates effective as seed inoculants of common bean, soybean, and cowpea. Overall, this review provides a first comprehensive assessment of biodiversity of indigenous symbiotic rhizobia in legume plants grown in SSA and discusses their potential agricultural applications.

Key words: biodiversity, rhizobia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Fabaceae crops.

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Andre L. Bongo
Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Department of Plant Protection, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
phone/fax: +48 71 320 6521
Grunwaldzka 53
50-375 Wrocław
Poland
email: andre.bongo@upwr.edu.pl

Stanisław J. Pietr
Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Department of Plant Protection, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
phone/fax: +48 71 320 6521
Grunwaldzka 53
50-375 Wrocław
Poland
email: stanislaw.pietr@upwr.edu.pl

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Responses to this article, comments are invited and should be submitted within three months of the publication of the article. If accepted for publication, they will be published in the chapter headed 'Discussions' and hyperlinked to the article.

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