Abstract
A few legume species possess the ability to form N2-fixing nodules on stems as well as on roots. Little is known of the functional characteristics of stem nodules, or to what extent they differ from root nodules. Stem and root nodules of greenhouse-grown plants of Aeschynomene scabra (inoculated with the photosynthetic rhizobial strain BTAi 1) and Sesbania rostrata (inoculated with Azorhizobium caulinodans strain BTSr 3) were examined for assimilation of 14CO2 in the light and dark, soluble carbohydrate and starch contents, acetylene reduction activity, relative efficiency of nitrogenase in terms of uptake-hydrogenase activity, glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase, and reduced N and ureide contents. In general, stem nodules possessed higher enzyme activities and metabolite contents than did root nodules, suggesting that they fix N2 with greater energy efficiency. This greater efficiency correlated with photosynthesis in the cortex of stem nodules. Differences in enzyme activities and metabolite contents between the stem nodules on A. scabra and those on S. rostrata probably result either from legume-species characteristics or from the photosynthetic capability of strain BTAi 1.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Alazard D 1990 Nitrogen fixation in pure culture by rhizobia isolated from stem nodules of tropical Aeschynomene species. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 68, 177–182.
Bergersen F J, Turner G L, Bogusz D and Appleby C A 1988 Fixation of N2 by bacteroids from stem nodules of Sesbania rostrata. J. Gen. Microbiol. 134, 1807–1808.
Boddey R M, Pereira J A R, Hungria M, Thomas R J and Neves M C P 1987 Methods for the study of nitrogen assimilation and transport in grain legumes. Mircen J. 3, 3–32.
Bogusz D 1984 Leghaemoglobin from root and stem nodules of Sesbania rostrata. In Advances in Nitrogen Fixation. Eds. C Veeger and W E Newton. p 534. Martinus Nijhoff/Dr W Junk, The Hague, The Netherlands.
Bradford M M 1976 A rapid and sensitive method for the quantification of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Anal. Biochem. 72, 248–254.
Cullimore J V, Lea P J and Miflin B J 1982 Multiple forms of glutamine synthetase in the plant fraction of Phaseolus root nodules. Israel J. Bot. 31, 151–162.
Cullimore J V and Simms A P 1980 An association between photorespiration and protein catabolism: Studies with Chlamydomonas. Planta 150, 392–396.
Dixon R O D 1972 Hydrogen in legume root nodule bacteroids: Occurrence and properties. Arch. Mikrobiol. 85, 193–201.
Dreyfus B L and Dommergues Y R 1981 Nitrogen-fixing nodules induced by Rhizobium on the stem of the tropical legume Sesbania rostrata. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 10, 313–317.
Dreyfus B L, Garcia J L and Gillis M 1988 Characterization of Azorhizobium caulinodans gen. nov., sp. nov., a stemnodulating nitrogen-fixing bacterium isolated from Sesbania rostrata. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 38, 89–98.
Eaglesham A R J, Ellis J M, Evans W R, Fleischman D E, Hungria M and Hardy R W F 1990 First photosynthetic nitrogen-fixing rhizobium: Characteristics. In Nitrogen Fixation: Achievements and Objectives. Eds. P Gresshoff, G Stacey and W E Newton. Chapman and Hall, New York. In press
Eaglesham A R J, Hassouna S and Seegers R 1983 Fertilizer-N effects on N2 fixation by cowpea and soybean. Agron. J. 75, 61–66.
Eaglesham A R J and Szalay A A 1983 Aerial stem nodules on Aeschynomene spp. Plant Sci. Lett. 29, 265–272.
Eardly B D and Eaglesham A R J 1985 Fixation of nitrogen and carbon by legume stem nodules. In Nitrogen Fixation Research Progress. Eds. H J E vans, P J Bottomley and W E Newton. p 324. Martinus Nijhoff, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
Evans W R, Fleischman D E, Calvert H E, Pyati P V, Alter G M and Subba Rao N S 1990 Bacteriochlorophyll and photosynthetic reaction centers in Rhizobium strain BTAi 1. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 56, 3445–3449.
Hagerup O 1928 En hygrofil baelgplante (Aeschynomene aspera L.) med bakterieknolde paa stangelen. Dan. Bot. Ark. 15, 1–9.
Hardy R W F, Holsten R D, Jackson E K and Burns R C 1968 The acetylene-ethylene assay for N2 fixation. Plant Physiol. 43, 1185–1207.
Hungria M, Ellis J M, Eaglesham A R J, Suwanto A, Kaplan S and Hardy R W F 1991 Photosynthesis in the stemnodulating rhizobial strain BTAi 1. J. Bacteriol. (Submitted).
Keeny D R and Nelson D W 1982 Nitrogen—inorganic forms. In Methods of Soil Analysis, Edition 2, Part 2. Ed. A L Page. pp 643–709. Agronomy No. 9. Am. Soc. Agron., Madison, WI.
Kendall A C, Wallsgrove R M, Hall N P, Turner J C and Lea P J 1986 Carbon and nitrogen metabolism in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) mutants lacking ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase. Planta 168, 316–323.
King B J, Layzell D B and Canvin D T 1986 The role of dark carbon dioxide fixation in root nodules of soybean. Plant Physiol. 81, 200–205.
Legocki R P, Eaglesham A R J and Szalay A A 1983 Stem nodulation in Aeschynomene: A model system for bacterium-plant interactions. In Molecular Genetics of Bacteria-Plant Interaction. Ed. A Puhler. pp 210–219. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Maxwell C A, Vance C P, Heichel G H and Stade S 1984 CO2 fixation in alfalfa and birdsfoot trefoil root nodules and partitioning for 14C to the plant. Crop Sci. 24, 257–264.
Miflin B J and Cullimore J V 1984 Nitrogen assimilation in the legume-Rhizobium symbiosis: A joint endeavour. In Genes Involved in Microbe-Plant Interactions. Ed. D P S Verma and THohn. pp 129–178. Springer-Verlag, Vienna.
Minchin F R, Witty J F, Sheehy J E and Muller M 1983 A major error in the acetylene reduction assay: Decreases in nodular nitrogenase activity under assay conditions. J. Exp. Bot. 34, 641–649.
Minchin F R, Sheehy J E and Witty J F 1986 Further errors in acetylene reduction assays: Effects of plant disturbance. J. Exp. Bot. 37, 1581–1591.
Minchin F R, Summerfield R J, Hadley P, Roberts E H and Rawsthorne S 1981 Carbon and nitrogen nutrition of nodulated roots of grain legumes. Plant Cell Environ. 4, 5–26.
Neves M C P and Hungria M 1987 The physiology of nitrogen fixation in tropical grain legumes. CRC Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 6, 267–321.
Ou-Lee T.-M. and Setter T L 1985 Enzyme activities of starch and sucrose pathways and growth of apical and basal maize kernels. Plant Physiol. 79, 848–851.
Rawsthorne S and Minchin F R, Summerfield R J, Cookson C and Coombs J 1980 Carbon and nitrogen metabolism in legume root nodules. Phytochem. 19, 341–355.
Schubert K R and Evans H J 1976 Hydrogen evolution: A major factor affecting the efficiency of nitrogen fixation in nodulated symbionts. Proc. Nat'l Acad. Sci. USA 73, 1207–1211.
Stowers M D and Eaglesham A R J 1983 A stem-nodulating Rhizobium with physiological characteristics of both fast and slow growers. J Gen. Microbiol. 129, 3651–3655.
Vincent J M 1970 Manual for the Practical Study of Root Nodule Bacteria. IBP Handbook No. 15. Blackwell. Oxford. 164 p.
Yatazawa M and Yoshida S 1979 Stem nodules in Aeschynomene indica and their capacity of nitrogen fixation. Physiol. Plant. 45, 293–295.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hungria, M., Eaglesham, A.R.J. & Hardy, R.W.F. Physiological comparisons of root and stem nodules of Aeschynomene scabra and Sesbania rostrata . Plant Soil 139, 7–13 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00012836
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00012836