Competition between related strains of nodule bacteria and its influence on infection of the legume host

Abstract

The work deals with the behaviour of mixed strains of nodule bacteria towards each other and towards their legume host. It introduces the concept of dominance in competition between strains. This dominance is independent of degree of effectiveness as regards nitrogen fixation. Where tow strains of nodule bacteria are both present in the surroundings of their host's root system, active competition between them may cause the strain having the higher initial growth rate almost completely to check multiplication of the other strain outside the plant. This dominant strain will then be responsible for nearly all the nodules. In peas and soy beans, where growth of the root sysytem is rapid and of comparatively short duration, the nodule-producing capacity of the plant may be partially or wholly satisfied by the nodules produced within the first few weeks, so that further infection, whether by the same or by a different strain, is checked or inhibited. In clover, whose root system continues to grow over a long period, the first-formed nodules do not stop further nodules from being formed either by the same or by a different strain. There are large differences in the rates of appearance and final numbers of nodules produced by different strains supplied in pure culture, particularly with clover. The relative numbers of nodules produced by the two strains simultaneously applied to the roots is conditioned by the specific infectivity peculiar to each strain, unless some other factor, such as competition outside the plant, masks this effect.