Selection of rhizobium strains (Shinorhizobium spp.) for Medicago arabica (L.) Hudson, fodder and medicinal plant

Abstract

The objective of this study was to select efficient strains of rhizobium in growth promoting and nitrogen fixation in spotted medick (Medicago arabica), forage legume with medicinal potential due to high content of secondary metabolites. Twenty-three rhizobium strains isolated from plant nodules collected in Urupema, SC, Brazil, were evaluated.
Spotted medick seedlings grown in hydroponics in a greenhouse were inoculated with bacterial suspensions of these strains. After 90 days of growth, shoot dry weight, nodule number and nodule dry mass of the plants were assessed. These three variables were higher in strains EEL 904B, EEL 1004, EEL 904, EEL 2404 and EEL 1604. It is concluded that
these strains are most effective in growth promoting of spotted clover in greenhouse and should be tested in field experiments to prove effectiveness in nitrogen fixation and in growth promoting of spotted medick.