N2-FIXATION IN ERWINIA-HERBICOLA

Four from 18 strains of Erwinia herbicola tested had nitrogenase activity and grew with N2 as sole source of nitrogen under strict anaerobic conditions with a doubling time of 20-24 h. Nitrogenase activity started only 96-120 h after transfer to a special medium maintained under anaerobic conditions. A ten fold increase in protein per culture found after the maximum nitrogenase activity of 80-130 nmol C2H4. mg protein-1·min-1 was accompanied by a fall in pH of the medium (20 mM phosphate buffer and in 125 mM Tris-buffer) from pH 7.2 to 5.4 or less, but only to 6.8 in 100 mM phosphate buffer. In all cases we found a sharp curtailing of nitrogenase activity 48 h after the maximum. The bacteria utilized only 35-50% of the nitrogen fixed for growth. Erwinia herbicola strains differed from two strains of Enterobacter agglomerans in being unable to fix nitrogen on agar surfaces exposed to air. Specific nitrogenase activity in Erwinia herbicola is compared with data reported for other Enterobacteriaceae and is found to be higher than that reported for Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae or Citrobacter freundii. © 1979 Springer-Verlag.