Characterization of Rhizobium loti strains from the Salado River Basin

Thirty indigenous rhizobia strains, isolated from Lotus tenuis in the area of Chascomús and other regions of the Salado River Basin (Argentina), were characterized based on generation time, acid production, carbon utilization, protein profile, and molecular characterization by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of 16S rRNA genes amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results indicated that native rhizobia isolates from the Chascomús area are predominantly fast and intermediate-growers. The unclassified rhizobia examined by PCR-RFLP were found to be closely related to the reference strains of validly described Rhizobium species.