Regulated modulation of Trifolium subterraneum inoculated with bacteriocinproducing strains of Rhizobium trifolii

When a bacteriocin-sensitive and a bacteriocin-resistant strain of Rhizobium were added together to plant-tubes, containing Trifolium subterraneum cv. Dwalganup seedlings, the bacteriocinresistant strain occupied less than 10% of the nodules sites. But when a bacteriocin-producer was added with the inoculum, the bacteriocin-resistant strain occupied 75% of the nodule sites. In a replicate experiment, using a different bacteriocin-sensitive strain, the proportion of the nodules formed by the bacteriocin-resistant strain was increased from 17%, in the absence of the bacteriocin-producer, to 100% in its presence.Similar experiments were set up in non-sterile soil that contained ineffective, bacteriocin-sensitive rhizobia. When an effective bacteriocin-resistant strain was inoculated with a bacteriocin-producing strain, the proportion of nodules formed by the effective strain was greater than in the absence of the bacteriocin-producer. This was because nodulation by the indigenous rhizobia was reduced in the presence of the bacteriocin-producer.Such experiments suggest that bacteriocin-producing strains of R. trifolii that reduce the nodulation success of competing bacteriocin-sensitive strains could be used to increase the proportion of nodules formed by a desired bacteriocin-resistant strain.