Effects of pH on growth and nodulation of two forage legumes

A study was conducted to compare the responses to acid pH of Medicago sativa and Lotus glaber, two forage legumes with different environmental requirements, either supplied with inorganic nitrogen (N) or inoculated with different strains of their nod-ale bacteria. Medicago sativa showed, in both treatments, a significant reduction in total dry weight at pH below 6.0. In contrast, Lotus glaber grew equally well at all the pHs assayed in the presence of adequate N. Under inoculated conditions, in the absence of N supply, plant growth was dependent on the bacterial strain used. When the ability of each strain to multiply in culture medium was examined, it was observed that Sinorhizobium meliloti strains showed a pH-sensitive response that inhibited growth at pH 4.0, whereas Mesorhizobium loti strains showed normal growth at this pH. These results suggest that for the effectiveness of Mesorhizobium loti-Lotus glaber symbiosis in acid soils the major factor to be considered is the tolerance of the bacterial strain to acid conditions, while the limiting factors for the Sinorhizobium meliloti-Medicago sativa symbiosis are the sensitivity to low pH of both the plant and its bacteria.