Manal Al-Dos* ⁽¹⁾, Mahmoud Abo Ghourra ⁽²⁾ and Aida Jalloul ⁽¹⁾

(1). National Commission for Biotechnology (NCB), Damascus, Syria.

(2₎ Department of Plant Protection, Agriculture Faculty,Damascus University, Damascus, Syria.

(*Corresponding author:  Fayez Almokdad. E-Mail: aldo2m@outlook.com ).

Received: 01/06/2020         Accepted: 11/07/202

Abstract

This search was accomplished in 2016 in National Commission for Biotechnology and  the laboratory of plant bacterial diseases-Faculty of Agriculture- Damascus University. The present study was carried out to isolate, identify, and examine rhizobacteria from root nodule in chickpea from several sites in Syria (Damascus, Daraa, Sweidaa, Homs, Hama, Tartoos). Rhizobium bacteria were isolated from nodules on yeast manitol agar medium. The bacterial isolates were  identified using artificial infection, biochemical tests, and molecular tests. The capability of these isolates of forming root nodules was tested by the application of artificial infection on chickpeas plants which were planted in pots. A total of 35 isolates were obtained from these sites. 27 isolates  were identified by biochemical tests as Rhizobium, out of which 12 isolate were characterized by their ability to induce nodules in chickpea roots, and number, dry weight of root nodules were varied according to isolate. The detection of nod genes was used to distinguish the molecular identity of Rhizobium and Mesorhizobium. Isolates induced nodules in chickpeas belonged to Mesorhizobium.

Key words: Rhizobium, bacterial root knot , nod gene, chickpea.

Full paper in Arabic :       PDF