Population, Symbiotic Effectiveness, and Protein Profile Patterns of Indigenous Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viciae to Korean Soils

Some symbiotic characteristics of native Korean Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viciae were analysed to get some informations desirable for cultivation of hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) using its symbiont in Korea. The size of indigenous populations of R. leguminosarum biovar viciae was higher in seven upland soils showing $1.7{\times}10^2{\sim}5.8{\times}10^4cells\;g{\cdot}soil^{-1}$, which appeared to be 10% and 37% higher for cultivated and uncultivated soils of hairy vetch, respectively, than seven paddy soils with $1.7{\times}10^2{\sim}1.7{\times}10^4cells\;g{\cdot}soil^{-1}$. In symbiotic potentials, however, the yields of hairy vetch treated with 10-fold-diluted ($10^{-1}$) inoculum and 1000-fold-diluted ($10^{-3}$) one was 11.2% and 8.8% more, respectively, in paddy than upland. Hairy vetch inoculated with either strain KHR 106 from Sacheon or strain KHR 120 from Yesan among native Korean R. leguminosarum biovar viciae isolates was of similar yield increment of 16% (p < 0.05) in upland soils with native R. leguminosarum biovar viciae of $5.8{\times}10cells\;g{\cdot}soil^{-1}$. In case of coinoculation of the two strains, however, the yields was not significantly increased. In especial, isolate KHR 106, KHR 120, and KHR 122 from Suwon, which has also good symbiotic effectiveness, showed different protein profile patterns each other. As a result, hairy vetch is possibly able to use atmospheric nitrogen through symbiotic relationship with diverse native R. leguminosarum biovar viciae in Korean arable lands. For safe and good production of hairy, however, the use of superior strains with high symbiotic effectiveness and competitiveness will be desirable.