Study of morphological and symbiotic traits during the ontogeny of supernodular and hypernodular pea mutants

Morphological (plant height and vegetative biomass amount) and symbiotic (number of nodules and nitrogenase activity) traits of six symbiotic pea mutants and the original cultivar Rondo were studied at different vegetation periods. Of the mutants studied, one (K10a) was supernodular and the remaining five (K1a, K2a, K5a, K7a, and K27a) were hypemodular. Essential distinctions in the absolute values and time course of the changes in individual morphological and symbiotic traits of different pea mutants were demonstrated. The supernodular type is inferior to the original cultivar in plant height and production of vegetative biomass, but exceeds it in nodulation and nitrogen fixation. The hypernodular mutants either surpass the original cultivar with respect to the production capacity or display similar results. The symbiotic traits—number of nodules and nitrogen fixation activity—of these mutants are higher compared with the Rondo cultivar. The mutants K1a, K2a, and K27a were demonstrated to be useful in breeding pea for an increase in nitrogen fixation.