Isolation, Identification and Authentication of Root Nodule Bacteria (Rhizobia) in Promoting Sustainable Agricultural Productivity: A Review

Abstract

The ability of indigenous rhizobia to nodulate a legume crop effectively, or to act as barrier to the successful establishment of inoculant strains, is critical to successful establishment and growth of legumes. Effective groups serve both as a guide to inoculant preparation and as a basis for predicting the need for inoculation. This review included all aspects of rhizobial work, starting from isolation and characterization of root nodule bacteria from the field to authentication of the symbiotic effectiveness test under sterile sand condition. This review shows the process on how to evaluate the symbiotic effectiveness along with growth responses to varied conditions of pH, temperature, antibiotics as well as carbon and nitrogen sources. Goal of Rhizobium scientists is to discover new and better strains for use in legume inoculants. This pursuit entails the collection of isolates, strain characterization, assessment of symbiotic capacity and comparison to strains currently included within inoculants. During the process of collection, care should be taken not to simply collect strains that were obtained through past inoculation, and the elite strains identified through exploration and characterization should be distinguished as original through strain identification procedures. This was a very valuable review for researchers dealing with improving soil fertility and supporting sustainable crop production with the minimum use of costly and environmentally unfavorable chemical fertilizers.

Keywords: Agriculture, Authentication, Identification, Isolation, Rhizobium