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Phylogeny of Nodulation Genes and Symbiotic Diversity of Acacia senegal (L.) Willd. and A. seyal (Del.) Mesorhizobium Strains from Different Regions of Senegal

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Abstract

Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal are small, deciduous legume trees, most highly valued for nitrogen fixation and for the production of gum arabic, a commodity of international trade since ancient times. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation by legumes represents the main natural input of atmospheric N2 into ecosystems which may ultimately benefit all organisms. We analyzed the nod and nif symbiotic genes and symbiotic properties of root-nodulating bacteria isolated from A. senegal and A. seyal in Senegal. The symbiotic genes of rhizobial strains from the two Acacia species were closed to those of Mesorhizobium plurifarium and grouped separately in the phylogenetic trees. Phylogeny of rhizobial nitrogen fixation gene nifH was similar to those of nodulation genes (nodA and nodC). All A. senegal rhizobial strains showed identical nodA, nodC, and nifH gene sequences. By contrast, A. seyal rhizobial strains exhibited different symbiotic gene sequences. Efficiency tests demonstrated that inoculation of both Acacia species significantly affected nodulation, total dry weight, acetylene reduction activity (ARA), and specific acetylene reduction activity (SARA) of plants. However, these cross-inoculation tests did not show any specificity of Mesorhizobium strains toward a given Acacia host species in terms of infectivity and efficiency as stated by principal component analysis (PCA). This study demonstrates that large-scale inoculation of A. senegal and A. seyal in the framework of reafforestation programs requires a preliminary step of rhizobial strain selection for both Acacia species.

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Abbreviations

NFT:

Nitrogen-fixing trees

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by ACACIAGUM INCO STREP Contract Number 032233 and by a grant for N. BAKHOUM from the SCAC (Service de Cooperation et d’Action Culturelle) of France Embassy in Senegal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département de Biologie Végétale, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Cheikh Anta DIOP de Dakar, BP 5005, Dakar, Senegal

    Niokhor Bakhoum, Aboubacry Kane, Fatou Ndoye, Kandioura Noba, Samba Ndao Sylla & Diégane Diouf

  2. LCM-Laboratoire Commun de Microbiologie IRD/ISRA/UCAD, Centre de recherche de Bel-Air, BP 1386, 18524, Dakar, Senegal

    Niokhor Bakhoum, Aboubacry Kane, Fatou Ndoye, Dioumacor Fall, Samba Ndao Sylla & Diégane Diouf

  3. CIRAD/UMR 113 IRD/CIRAD UMR82/AGRO-M/UM2, USC INRA 1242 Laboratoire des Symbioses Tropicales et Méditerranéennes, Campus International de Baillarguet, TA-82/J, 34398, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Antoine Galiana & Christine Le Roux

  4. IRD/UMR 113 IRD/CIRAD UMR82/AGRO-M/UM2, USC INRA 1242 Laboratoire des Symbioses Tropicales et Méditerranéennes, Campus International de Baillarguet, TA-82/J, 34398, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Robin Duponnois

  5. Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA)/Centre National de Recherches Forestières (CNRF), Routes des Pères Maristes, BP 2312, Dakar, Senegal

    Dioumacor Fall

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  1. Niokhor Bakhoum
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  2. Antoine Galiana
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  3. Christine Le Roux
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Correspondence to Niokhor Bakhoum.

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Bakhoum, N., Galiana, A., Le Roux, C. et al. Phylogeny of Nodulation Genes and Symbiotic Diversity of Acacia senegal (L.) Willd. and A. seyal (Del.) Mesorhizobium Strains from Different Regions of Senegal. Microb Ecol 69, 641–651 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-014-0507-1

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