Diversity and symbiotic effectiveness of rhizobia isolated from field-grown soybean nodules in Paraguay

Soybean was introduced in Paraguay in the 1920s and commercial crops have been grown since the 1970s. Root nodulation occurs at the majority of the producing sites, although inoculation has been practiced in only 15–20% of the cropping areas. The diversity and symbiotic effectiveness of soybean rhizobia was studied using 78 isolates obtained from root nodules of field-grown plants at 16 sites located in the two main producing states. The rhizobial isolates were characterized in relation to several parameters in vitro (colony morphology, tolerance to high temperature and salinity, intrinsic resistance to antibiotics, synthesis of indole acetic acid, profiles of proteins and lipopolysaccharides) and in vivo (nodulation, plant growth and total N accumulated in shoots). Fifty-eight isolates had slow growth rates and alkaline reaction in medium containing mannitol as the carbon source, whereas 20 had fast growth rates and an acid reaction. Most isolates did not tolerate acidity (pH 4.5) or high temperature (40°C). Very few isolates shared similar protein and lipopolysaccharide profiles; therefore a high level of diversity was detected, with most of the isolates representing unique strains. Some of the isolates with an outstanding symbiotic performance were identified, and will now be tested under field conditions in a search for efficient and competitive strains for use in commercial inoculants in Paraguay.