Nitrogen fixation and symbiosis-induced accumulation of mineral nutrients by cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.)
Alphonsus K. Belane A , Flora Pule-Meulenberg A , Thabo I. Makhubedu A and Felix D. Dakora B C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Crop Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, 175 Nelson Mandela Drive, Private Bag X680, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.
B Chemistry Department, Tshwane University of Technology, 175 Nelson Mandela Drive, Private Bag X680, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.
C Corresponding author. Email: DakoraFD@tut.ac.za
Crop and Pasture Science 65(3) 250-258 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP13283
Submitted: 17 August 2013 Accepted: 12 February 2014 Published: 14 April 2014
Abstract
Little information currently exists on the relationship between rhizobial symbiosis and mineral accumulation in nodulated legumes. The aim of this study was to measure fixed nitrogen (N) in whole plants and in young fully expanded trifoliate leaves of cowpea genotypes, and to relate this to mineral accumulation in the leaves. The data revealed marked differences between high and low N2-fixing genotypes, with the former consistently showing greater %N, plant or leaf total N, and amount of N fixed compared with the latter. There was a 2.0–3.8-fold difference in amount of N fixed at whole-plant level between high- and low-fixing cowpea genotypes at Taung, South Africa, and 2.4–4.0-fold at Manga, Ghana. Furthermore, the genotypes with high N2 fixation consistently exhibited greater concentration and content of minerals (e.g. P, K, Mg, S, Na, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn and B) in their trifoliate leaves, whereas those that recorded low N2 fixation accumulated lesser amounts of mineral nutrients in leaves. In a nodulation assay, we found that rhizobial isolates TUT53b2vu and TUT33b4vu, which exhibited higher symbiotic efficiency (measured here as nodule number, nodule fresh weight, and plant dry matter yield), also elicited greater mineral accumulation in cowpea shoots, while strains with low N2-fixing ability induced limited mineral accumulation. These results, together with a correlation analysis, show that, at least in nodulated cowpea, there is a strong relationship between N2-fixing efficiency and mineral accumulation, two traits that could be exploited in breeding programs for improved human nutrition and health.
Additional keywords: leaf photosynthesis, low and high N2-fixers, N2-fixing efficiency, nodulation assay, plant growth, rhizobial isolates.
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