Diversity of Mesorhizobium Species Nodulating Some Wild Legumes in Samsun Province of Turkey

Abstract

In this study, microsymbionts of two wild legumes, Argyrolobium biebersteinii (Ball in Feddes) and Lotus angustissimus L., collected from Samsun province of Turkey were investigated using conventional and molecular methods. A total of five rhizobial isolates which produced active root nodules on their original hosts were considered. Identifications of the isolates were depending on the phylogenetic analyses of two housekeeping genes, 16S rDNA and recA. As a result of phylogenetic analyses, all isolates appeared within Mesorhizobium lineage. Of these isolates, OKN-1 and OKN-4 identified as Mesorhizobium tarimense and OKN-3 identified as M. japonicum. On the other hand, other two isolates, OKN-7 and OKN-10 did not match up with any known Mesorhizobium species. In this study we present the first Mesorhizobium isolates identified using valid molecular methods from Turkey. We also give the first reports of M. tarimense and M. japonicum from Turkey and Europe. Additionally, the new M. tarimense and M. japonicum isolates in this study are the first isolates reported after the description of these two species from their original hosts and locations. In this study we also present molecular evidences for two new Mesorhizobium species, but this presumption needs further investigations.