Summary Antisera were prepared against three Rhizobium spp, (Cicer arietinum L.) strains H45, R18 and 46b4. Results obtained by the ELISA technique complement those obtained by immunoflourescence and revealed a broad serological diversity in the chickpea Rhizobium strains used. This serological diversity allowed us to use the immunofluorescence technique for competitiveness studies between an inoculated strain (H45) and native strains. Strain H45 formed all the nodules on plants cultivated on an acidic soil, 48 per cent of Montpellier soil and ] 1 per cent on Montelimar soil. The inoculum concentration was 5.2 107 bacteria per seed. On the Montpellier soil, the ratio of nodules formed by H45 increased with the inoculum concentration. The competitiveness of strain H45 against native strains of Montpellier soil is highly influenced by the host plant genotype. In each case, no cross reaction were observed between native strains of the soils studied and the antisera prepared against H45.Resume Des antiserums ont ~t~ pr@ar~s contre trois souches de Rhizobium sp. du Pois chiche (O'cer arietinum L.):H45, R18 et 46b4. Les r6sultats obtenus en tests ELISA concordent avec ceux obtenus en immunofluorescenee et r~v~lent une grande diversit6 s6rologique des souches 6tudi6es. Cette diversit6 s6rologique a 6t6 mise ~ profit pour l'6tude de la comp6tition pour la formation des nodosit6s entre une souche apport6e au semis (H45) et les souches indig6nes du sol. La souche H45 a form~ la totalit~ des nodosit~s sur les plantes de pois chiche cultiv~es sur un sol ~ pH acide et respectivement 48% (sol Montpellier) et 11% (sol Mont~limar) pour une concentration d'inoculum de 5, 2 • 10 ~ bact~ries par graine. Avec le sol de Montpellier, la proportion de nodosit~s fortunes par H45 augmente avec la concentration de l'inoculum. Le pouvoir de competition de la souche H45 vis-a-vis des souches naturelles du sol de Montpeilier est fortement influenc~ par le g~notype de la plante. Dans tousles cas, aucune r~action crois~e n'est observ6e entre les souches indig6nes des sols ~tudi~s et l'antis~rum pr@ar~ contre H45.
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