Involvement of the siderophore of cowpea Rhizobium in the iron nutrition of the peanut.

An iron-inefficient variety of peanut plant, when grown hydroponically with the catechol siderophore of Rhizobium (peanut isolate), showed increased growth and chlorophyll content compared with plants grown with Fe alone. The siderophore, when used in concentrations less than the concentrations of Fe, was still effective in grwoth promotion, indicating that it might function as a shuttle agent, solubilizing and supplying Fe to the plant. Similar results were also obtained with desferrioxamine B.