Am. Martensson et I. Rydberg, CULTIVAR X RHIZOBIAL STRAIN INTERACTIONS IN PEAS WITH RESPECT TO EARLY SYMBIOSIS, NODULE INITIATION AND N UPTAKE, Plant breeding, 115(5), 1996, pp. 402-406
Sixteen pea cultivars differing in their phenotypic characteristics we
re studied in order to characterize the cultivars' variability in symb
iotic characters using three Rhizobium leguminoisarum biovar viceae st
rains. The peas did not show any cultivar x strain interactions with t
he rhizobial strains used with respect to root hair infection frequenc
y or day of nodule initiation. Three cultivars had high root hair infe
ction frequencies, and five had only a few infected root hairs. Four o
f five leafless/semi-leafless varieties investigated and one cultivar
with normal leaves formed nodules quickly, whereas three varieties wit
h normal leaves formed nodules slowly. Ten of the cultivars showed cul
tivar x strain interactions with respect to N uptake, indicating that
the performance of the N-2-fixing symbioses depends on the rhizobial p
artner. Six cultivars showed cultivar x strain interactions with respe
ct to dry matter production and the nodule proportion of the dry matte
r. Of the cultivars investigated, we conclude that some of the leafles
s/semi-leafless varieties ('Capella','Filby' and `Solara') are suitabl
e for inclusion in a future breeding programme, since these cultivars
combined several important symbiotic characters.