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Guro P.V., Kuznetsova I.G., Sazanova A.L., Sekste E.A., Yuzikhin O.S., Tikhomirova N.Yu., Belimov A.A., Safronova V.I., Karlov D.S. Symbiotic efficiency of rhizobial Mesorhizobium spp. strains on Onobrychis arenaria (KIT.) DC. under conditions of a microvegetation experiment. Sel'skokhozyaistvennaya Biologiya [Agricultural Biology], 2025, Vol. 60, № 5, p. 887-897.
(how to cite this article)

doi: 10.15389/agrobiology.2025.5.887eng

UDC: 579.64:579.262:582.736

Acknowledgements:
Funded by the Russian Science Foundation (grant № 20-76-10042-П)

 

SYMBIOTIC EFFICIENCY OF RHIZOBIAL Mesorhizobium spp. STRAINS ON Onobrychis arenaria (KIT.) DC. UNDER CONDITIONS OF A MICROVEGETATION EXPERIMENT

P.V. Guro✉, I.G. Kuznetsova, A.L. Sazanova, E.A. Sekste, O.S. Yuzikhin, N.Yu. Tikhomirova, A.A. Belimov, V.I. Safronova, D.S. Karlov

All-Russian Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology, 3, sh. Podbel’skogo, St. Petersburg, 196608 Russia, e-mail guro.pv@arriam.ru (✉ corresponding author), ig.kuznetsova@arriam.ru, al.sazanova@arriam.ru, sekste_edgar@mail.ru, os.yuzikhin@arriam.ru, ny.tikhomirova@arriam.ru, belimon@arriam.ru, v.safronova@arriam.ru, ds.karlov@arriam.ru

ORCID:
Guro P.V. orcid.org/0000-0001-5754-6926
Tikhomirova N.Yu. orcid.org/0000-0002-8510-2123
Kuznetsova I.G. orcid.org/0000-0003-0260-7677
Belimov A.A. orcid.org/0000-0002-9936-8678
Sazanova A.L. orcid.org/0000-0002-4808-320X
Safronova V.I. orcid.org/0000-0003-4510-1772
Sekste E.A. orcid.org/0000-0002-9753-8303
Karlov D.S. orcid.org/0000-0002-9030-8820
Yuzikhin O.S. orcid.org/0000-0002-1818-9230

Final revision received February 26, 2025
Accepted April 23, 2025

Onobrychis arenaria (Kit.) DC. is of particular interest as a promising forage crop for cultivation in the northern regions of Russia due to its winter hardiness, high forage quality, and ability to fix nitrogen through symbiosis with rhizobial bacteria. Sainfoin is capable of forming effective symbiotic relationships with a wide range of rhizobia, making it a unique model for studying plant-microbe interactions. In this study, we for the first time revealed significant variability in the symbiotic efficiency of Mesorhizobium strains isolated from wild legumes across various geographic regions in forming nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with sand sainfoin (Onobrychis arenaria). It was established that strains of northern origin exhibited increased nitrogen-fixing activity and a positive effect on plant growth under microvegetation conditions. The results obtained allow us to recommend several strains as promising inoculants for sainfoin cultivation under the extreme agroclimatic conditions of northern Russia. The aim of this work was to study the symbiotic potential of Mesorhizobium strains isolated from wild legumes (Astragalus, Oxytropis, Hedysarum, Trifolium) of different geographic origins to form nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with the cultivated forage legume Onobrychis arenaria under microvegetation conditions, in order to select the most promising rhizobial isolates. The study was conducted at the All-Russian Research Institute of Agricultural Microbiology in 2025. For the microvegetation experiment, seeds of sand sainfoin and 19 collection bacterial strains of the genus Mesorhizobium were used. The Mesorhizobium strains, obtained from the Russian Collection of Agricultural Microorganisms (All-Russia Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology, St. Petersburg), were isolated from nodules of various wild legumes (Hedysarum, Astragalus, Oxytropis, and Trifolium) growing in Kamchatka, Arctic and central regions of Russia, the central part of the Ukrainian SSR, as well as from populations of cultivated sainfoin (O. arenaria, Altai) and Onobrychis sp. (Armenia). Seeds were germinated on filter paper in sterile Petri dishes at 25 °C in darkness for 4 days. Seedlings were grown in sterile plastic pots (1000 ml) containing 70 g of vermiculite. Each pot with 5 seedlings was inoculated with a 10 ml suspension of an individual bacterial strain (106 cells/ml). Non-inoculated plants served as negative controls. Plants were cultivated in a climate chamber (MLR-352H, PHCbi, Singapore) at 18-23 °C for 30 days. After cultivation, fresh biomass was weighed and the number of nodules was counted. Nitrogen-fixing activity of nodules was determined by the acetylene reduction assay using a GC-2014 gas chromatograph (Shimadzu, Japan). All tested strains were capable of forming nodules on sainfoin roots, but their symbiotic efficiency varied considerably. The highest nitrogen-fixing activity was demonstrated by strains of northern origin: Mesorhizobium sp. 650 (Kamchatka peninsula), M. norvegicum 20/1-4 (Yakutia), and Mesorhizobium sp. RCAM03942 (Taimyr peninsula), whereas the Kamchatka strain Mesorhizobium sp. 708 significantly (p < 0.05) increased root mass and overall fresh biomass compared to the control. High nodulation ability did not always correlate with nitrogen-fixing activity. For example, strain RCAM2915, despite low nitrogen fixation, had a notable positive effect on plant productivity, which may be associated with additional growth-stimulating mechanisms. Based on a comprehensive assessment of symbiotic efficiency, the Taimyr strain RCAM03942, the Yakutia strain 20/1-4, and the Kamchatka strains 650 and 708 are recommended for further study as promising inoculants for sainfoin with the aim of cultivating this valuable forage crop in northern regions of Russia.

Keywords: Onobrychis arenaria (Kit.) DC., sand sainfoin, Mesorhizobium spp., legume-rhizobial symbiosis.

 

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