Effeciency of cross inoculation between species of the subfamily Mimosoideae

Abstract

A greenhouse experiment was carried out in Leonard jars, to test cross inoculation between six legumes. The test represents the continuation of a series of experiments to confirm the specificity of Rhizobium from sabiá (Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia Benth.) and other forest legumes. Five species of the subfamily Mimosoideae were used: sabiá (M. caesalpiniaefolia Benth.), sensitiva (M. pudica L.), maricá (M. bimucronata (DC)) O. K., M. invisa Mart., leucena (Leucaena glauca Benth.) and Faboideae, sesbânia (Sesbania sp.), which was included only to confirm results found in the literature. The Rhizobium strains were isolated from nodules of sabiá, angico, sensitiva and M. invisa Mart. Sabiá nodulated with all used strains, appearing to be specific for Rhizobium of the subfamily Mimosoideae. Black nodules appeared on the species of the genus Mimosa when inoculated with one of the strains from sabiá and on leucena when inoculated with a mixture of strains of sabiá. Nodules produced by strains M₁, M₄ and 18-7, on sabiá and sensitiva showed good efficiency, while the fixation of the remainder was very weak.