Cowpea rhizobia: Comparison of plant infection and plate counts

Enumeration of Rhizobium in soil is usually accomplished by the most probable number (MPN) plant infection method. The accuracy of MPN counts as compared to plate counts was determined for five strains of cowpea rhizobia. Host plants included cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.), siratro (Macroptilium atropurpureum (DC.) Urb.) and peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.). Plastic growth pouches were used primarily for cowpea and siratro while plastic cups containing vermiculite were used for peanut. The number of rhizobia determined by the MPN method using cowpea, siratro and peanut underestimated the population from 10- to 100-fold. A control experiment using soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) indicated that the MPN method was accurate for R. japonicum. Experimentors using the MPN method should be aware of its accuracy for particular Rhizobiutn-legume combinations.