Isolation of an effective strain of Frankia from nodules of Discaria trinervis (Rhamnaceae)

Frankia strain BCU110501 was isolated from root nodules of the native Patagonian actinorhizal plant Discaria trinervis. The strain was grown on BAP medium with sodium propionate or glucose as carbon sources. Colonies grown in nitrogen-free medium showed branched hyphae bearing polymorphic sporangia and vesicles, which were capable of nitrogen fixation. Old cultures produced a red pigment. The infectivity and effectivity of a Frankia strain isolated from Discaria on its own host, D. trinervis and also in D. chacaye, is reported for the first time. Frankia BCU110501 has physiological properties that are intermediate between categories proposed by Lechevalier et al. (1983) to classify Frankia.