Lectins from two varieties (PG-3 and LFP-48) of pea have been purified by a
ffinity chromatography on Sephadex G-50. The specific activity increased by
23 and 25 folds, respectively. These lectins from both the varieties were
found to be specific for mannose. The purified fluorescein isothiocyanate (
FITC)- labelled lectins showed binding reaction with homologous as well as
heterologous strains of Rhizobium spp. The results revealed that pea lectin
s are not highly specific to their respective rhizobia. Moreover, these lec
tins showed a greater stimulatory effect on homologous Rhizobium leguminosa
rum strains.