Application of immunodiffusion to the identification of Rhizobium meliloti strains competing for nodulation on Medicago sativa.

The immunodiffusion technique was successfully used to unambiguously recognize four strains of Rhizobium meliloti in a study of competition for nodulation with Medicago sativa cv. Apollo inoculated with two-, three- and four-strain mixtures. The serological reactions of all R. meliloti strains revealed no significant changes following plant passage indicating that the antigens involved in immunodiffusion were stable. R. meliloti 102F70 formed 50% or more of the nodules on M. sativa inoculated with two-, three- and four-strain mixtures. The remaining three strains were less competitive and produced similar proportions of nodules (14-20%) on plants inoculated with three- and four-strain mixtures. Cases of mixed-strain occupancy of nodules involving either two of three strains were detected in a sub-sample of nodules. The data also indicated considerable variation in the proportions of strains in the nodules of individual plants.