VARIABILITY AMONG RHIZOBIUM STRAINS ORIGINATING FROM NODULES OF VICIA-FABA

Rhizobium strains from nodules of Vicia faba were diverse in plasmid c ontent and serology. Results of multilocus gel electrophoresis and res triction fragment length polymorphism indicated several deep chromosom al lineages among the strains. Linkage disequilibrium among the chromo somal types was defected and may have reflected variation of Rhizobium strains in the different geographical locations from which the strain s originated. An investigation of pea strains with antibodies prepared against fava bean strains and restriction fragment length polymorphis m analyses, targeting DNA regions coding for rRNA and nodulation, indi cated that Rhizobium strains from V. faba nodules were distinguishable from those from Pisum sativum, V. villosa, and Trifolium spp.