Heritable variation in nodulation of Centrosema pubescens Benth

Abstract

Field and glasshouse observations revealed extreme variation in nodulation and plant growth within several commercial seed lots of Centrosema pubescens Beuth. inoculated with each of many Rhizobium strains.
Inoculation of vegetative propagations of plant selections and of seed from these showed that commercial seed contained stable sparsely nodulating and profusely nodulating lines.
Following inoculation with most Rhizobium strains, plants of the sparsely nodulating lines were greatly inferior to others in nodulation and yield in a nitrogen-deficient substrate. However, certain Rhizobium strains were found to nodulate these lines satisfactorily, good plant growth ensuing.
Profusely nodulating lines produced ·a greater number of nodules than average plants in commercial seed lots, but total nodule weight per plant and plant weight were unaltered by the profuse nodulation.