The widely distributed legume tree Vachellia (Acacia) nilotica subsp. indica is nodulated by genetically diverse Ensifer strains in India

Genomic Diversity of Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.) Endosymbionts in India and Selection of Potential Strains for Use as Agricultural Inoculants

“…numbers in soil, since, in India, Ensifer spp. are common endosymbionts of native legumes growing in alkaline soils (Gehlot et al, 2013 ; Tak et al, 2016 ; Sankhla et al, 2017 ; Rathi et al, 2018 ; Choudhary et al, 2020 ). Regarding nodulation genes, the most relevant feature is nolL , where its absence correlates with a significantly improved plant performance in E. alkalisoli NBAIM29 ( Figures 3 , 6 ).…”

“…However, testing a range of IU strains for symbiotic performance in field trials is essential to assess their real-world performance. Moreover, the less common Ensifer strains, like E. alkalisoli NBAIM29, may be better for alkaline conditions, where members of this genus often perform well (Gehlot et al, 2013 ; Tak et al, 2016 ; Sankhla et al, 2017 ; Rathi et al, 2018 ; Choudhary et al, 2020 ).…”

Evolution of novel strains ofEnsifernodulating the invasive legumeLeucaena leucocephala(Lam.) de Wit in different climatic regions of India through lateral gene transfer

“…Otherwise, the availability of compatible rhizobia in the soil will govern its course of adaption to the new site and its subsequent expansion (Parker et al 2006). Plants and bacteria belonging to the same geographical origin generally have more effective symbioses as compared to novel mutualisms forged in their invasive sites (Rodríguez-Echeverría et al 2012), which is why so many of the most successful legume invaders appear to be accompanied by compatible rhizobial symbionts from their geographical origin(s americanus as well as with strains isolated from Leucaena in China (Xu et al 2013a, b) and with Vachellianodulating Ensifer strains from India (Sankhla et al 2017;Choudhary et al 2020). Interestingly a geographic pattern was observed in the clustering of strains e.g.…”

“…With regard to non-Ensifer symbionts, novel strains of Mesorhizobium were isolated as symbionts of other native legumes from arid and semi-arid regions of India (Rathi et al 2017(Rathi et al , 2018Sankhla et al 2015Sankhla et al , 2017Sankhla et al , 2018Choudhary et al 2017Choudhary et al , 2018Choudhary et al , 2020. The Indian Leucaena-associated Mesorhizobium strains are divergent from M. plurifarium, M. acaciae and M. abyssinicae (isolated from species of Acacia in Africa and China, and from S. senegal in Africa), which fits with previous studies demonstrating that diverse strains of Mesorhizobium, and especially M. plurifarium, can effectively nodulate Leucaena in Mexico and in Asia (de Lajudie et al 1998;Wang et al 1999;Wang et al 2003).…”

“…Hence, it offers an excellent opportunity to identify and characterize the N-fixing root nodule microsymbionts associated with Leucaena growing in Indian soils from different climatic zones which have so far not been properly investigated. The other objective was to determine if Leucaena can select native rhizobia from Indian soils and how its microsymbionts differ from those reported from arid and semi-arid regions, as well as other parts of India (Gehlot et al 2013;Tak et al 2016;Sankhla et al 2017;Choudhary et al 2017Choudhary et al , 2018Choudhary et al , 2020Ojha et al 2017;Rathi et al 2017Rathi et al , 2018Gaur et al 2018;Tak and Gehlot 2019;Chouhan et al 2020). Moreover, it would be interesting to establish if it carries its own rhizobial-symbionts of Neotropical origins like invasive Mimosa pudica in India (Gehlot et al 2013) and/or if it has developed compatibility with native Indian rhizobia.…”