Symbiotic effectiveness of indigenous soybean bradyrhizobia as related to serological, morphological, rhizobitoxine, and hydrogenase phenotypes.

A Collection of 360 isolates of Bradyrhizobium japonicum was developed from soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merrill) nodules taken from 18 locations in Delaware. The isolates were characterized serologically with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, morphologically by colony type on yeast extract-mannitol agar, and for production of rhizobitoxine symptoms with soybean plants. These analyses revealed 12 and 3 groups based on serology and morphology, respectively. The more common identifiable isolates were in serogroups 94, 6, 122, and 76. Nearly 33% of the isolates were rated nonreactive with all of the antisera tested. Overall, 18% of the isolates produced rhizobitoxine symptoms, and these were associated with five known serogroups (31, 46, 76, 94, and 130) and the nonreactive grouping, but with only one colony type. A subsample of 92 isolates was rated for N(2)-fixing ability in the greenhouse and for hydrogenase phenotype in the laboratory. The nitrogen content of plant shoots was strongly and comparably related to both the serological and morphological groupings. Rhizobitoxine and hydrogenase phenotypes were relatively poor predictors of symbiotic effectiveness. Among the serologically reactive isolates, those in serogroups 38-115, 122, and 110 fixed the most N(2), whereas one colony type (that containing isolates producing rhizobitoxine) was clearly inferior to the remaining two morphological groupings. Isolates displaying hydrogenase activity (approximately 15% of the isolates tested) correlated with three serologically reactive groupings (serogroups 110 and 122 and a 122/123 cross-reactive group) and two colony types, none of which coincided with groupings containing bradyrhizobia rated positive for rhizobitoxine production.