Background and aims Some elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) genotypes are able to produce large amounts of biomass and accumulate N derived from BNF when growing in soil with low N levels. However, information about the diazotrophic bacteria colonizing this C4 plant is still very scarce. This study aimed to characterize the plant growth promoting traits of a fraction of culturable diazotrophs colonizing the genotypes CNPGL F06-3 and Cameroon. Methods A total of 204 isolates were obtained from surface sterilized leaves, stems and roots after culturing on five different N-free semisolid media. These were then analyzed by BOX-PCR, and the 16S rRNA and nifH sequences of representative isolates were obtained. The functional ability of the isolates to reduce acetylene, produce indole and to solubilize phosphate was also determined. Results The diazotrophic bacterial population varied from 10 2 up to 10 6 bacteria g −1 fresh tissues of both genotypes. The BOX-PCR analysis suggested a trend in the genetic diversity among the 204 diazotrophic strains colonizing the different genotypes and plant tissues. Sequencing of 16S rRNA fragments confirmed the presence of Azospirillum brasilense and Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus and revealed for the first time the occurrence of G. liquefaciens, G. sacchari, Burkholderia silvatlantica, Klebsiella sp., Enterobacter cloacae and E. oryzae in elephant grass. Interestingly, several nifH sequences from isolates identified as G. liquefaciens and G. sacchari showed homologies with nifH sequences of Enterobacter species. The majority of the isolates (97%) produced indole compounds, 22% solubilized phosphate and 6.4% possessed both characteristics.

The aim of this study was to characterize rhizobial isolates from Cratylia mollis Mart. ex Benth, Calliandra depauperata Benth. and Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir. by means of rhizobial colonies morphology and restriction analysis of the 16S ribosomal gene (16S rDNA-ARDRA). Nodules were collected in the field and from plants cultivated in a greenhouse experiment using Caatinga soil samples. Sixty seven isolates were described by morphological analysis. Forty seven representative isolates were used for ARDRA analysis using seven restriction enzymes. We observed high diversity of both slow and fast-growing rhizobia that formed three morpho-physiological clusters. A few fast-growing isolates formed a group of strains of the Bradyrhizobium type; however, most of them diverged from the B. japonicum and B. elkanii species. Cratylia mollis nodule isolates were the most diverse, while all Mimosa tenuiflora isolates displayed fast growth with no pH change and were clustered into groups bearing 100% similarity, according to ARDRA results.

For a single plant species under the same environmental conditions, the interaction with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and their contribution to plant growth varies among AMF isolates, with both inter and intraspecific variability. The present study evaluated the functional variability of 41 isolates of 20 species and eight genera of AMF for root colonization, growth promotion, and P uptake of corn and observed the relationship of this functional variability with the isolates genetic variability revealed by PCR-RFLP analysis. All the isolates abundantly colonized the corn roots, but only 23 promoted higher shoot dry mass and P leaf content. The cluster analysis based on functional variability data separated the isolates Acaulospora morrowiae (Am2), Acaulospora sp. (Aca), A. colombiana (Ac3, Ac4, and Ac5), Gigaspora albida (Gia1), Gi. margarita (Gim4 and Gim5), Gi. rosea (Gir), Rhizophagus clarus (Rc2, Rc3, Rc4, Rc5, and Rc6), Claroideoglomus etunicatum (Ce4), R. manihotis (Rm), Scutellospora calospora (Sc), S. heterogama (Sh2, Sh3, Sh4, and Sh5) and S. pellucida (Sp3) from the others at the distance of 80% functional similarity. These were considered efficient in promoting functional symbiosis in corn while the other isolates were considered inefficient. The cluster analysis obtained by the PCR-RFLP technique was partly coherent with the species classification based on spore morphology. The isolates of R. clarus fell into one cluster and the isolates of the Gigaspora and Scutellospora genera (Gigasporaceae family) were clustered in a second cluster, without the ability to separate the species of these genera.

Little is known regarding how the increased diversity of nitrogen-fixing bacteria contributes to the productivity and diversity of plants in complex communities. However, some authors have shown that the presence of a diverse group of nodulating bacteria is required for different plant species to coexist. A better understanding of the plant symbiotic organism diversity role in natural ecosystems can be extremely useful to define recovery strategies of environments that were degraded by human activities. This study used ARDRA, BOX-PCR fingerprinting and sequencing of the 16S rDNA gene to assess the diversity of root nodule nitrogen-fixing bacteria in former bauxite mining areas that were replanted in 1981, 1985, 1993, 1998, 2004 and 2006 and in a native forest. Among the 12 isolates for which the 16S rDNA gene was partially sequenced, eight, three and one isolate(s) presented similarity with sequences of the genera Bradyrhizobium, Rhizobium and Mesorhizobium, respectively. The richness, Shannon and evenness indices were the highest in the area that was replanted the earliest (1981) and the lowest in the area that was replanted most recently (2006).

The genus Burkholderia represents a challenge to the fields of taxonomy and phylogeny and, especially, to the understanding of the contrasting roles as either opportunistic pathogens or bacteria with biotechnological potential. Few genomes of nonpathogenic strains, especially of diazotrophic symbiotic bacteria, have been sequenced to improve understanding of the genus. Here, we contribute with the complete genome sequence of Burkholderia phenoliruptrix strain BR3459a (CLA1), an effective diazotrophic symbiont of the leguminous tree Mimosa flocculosa Burkart, which is endemic to South America.

The Brazilian Northeastern dry forest (Caatinga) is one of the diversification centers of Mimosa species. We determined the characteristics of native rhizobia isolates from nodules of Mimosa tenuiflora and Mimosa paraibana grown in pots with soils collected under Caatinga vegetation and compared the restriction ribosomal DNA profiles of the isolates with those of 16 reference strains. All plants formed abundant indeterminate nodules and all nodule isolates formed fast growing colonies. No colony altered the medium to an alkaline reaction and most of them produced low or medium amounts of extracellular polysaccharides. White and creamy colonies predominated among the isolates but orange and green colonies were present. Differences among the isolates from the Mimosa species tested are indicated by the greater phenotypic diversity of those obtained from M. tenuiflora. The analysis of the 16S rDNA gene suggests that the isolates from M. tenuiflora and M. paraibana are closely related and closer to -rhizobia than to α-rhizobia. However, the similarity with all the tested -rhizobia reference strains was relatively low suggesting that the isolates may belong to different bacteria species.

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A maximização da fixação biológica de nitrogênio (FBN) em espécies tropicais, costuma ser pouco eficiente uma vez que essas espécies nodulam facilmente com rizóbios nativos. O sucesso da seleção de uma simbiose eficiente é dependente do conhecimento da variabilidade genética do macro e do microssimbionte. Objetivou-se, neste estudo, avaliar parâmetros relacionados à capacidade de nodulação e fixação biológica de nitrogênio entre acessos de amendoim. Nove acessos de amendoim, cultivados em Aargissolo e Planossolo, foram utilizados, sendo avaliado o número e a massa de nódulos, a massa da parte aérea e da raiz, o nitrogênio (N) acumulado, e a redução de acetileno, sob o efeito da população nativa de rizóbios. Os acessos IAC Tatu-ST, IAC 886 Runner, Sapucaia Vermelha, Sapucaia Bege e CV Tatuí, mostraram desempenho superior sugerindo que existem variações entre os acessos de amendoim as quais podem ser úteis na seleção de associações eficientes.