Full Length Research Paper

Preliminary characterization of Rhizobium strains isolated from chickpea nodules

Çiğdem Küçük¹* and Merih Kıvanç²

¹Harran University, Faculty of Arts and Science, Department of Biology, Şanlıurfa, Turkey.

²Anadolu University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, 26470 Eskisehir, Turkey.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: cdmkucuk@yahoo.com. Tel: +90 414 3440020-1373.

Accepted 21 February, 2008

A total of 28 Rhizobium strains from chickpea nodules were characterized on the basis of morphological, cultural and biochemical characteristics. Most strains produced abundant extracellular polysaccharides, were tolerant to 0.5 M NaCI (53%) and a temperature of 40^oC (75%). The majority of the strains showed an intrinsic resistance to the antibiotics (µg ml^-1) streptomycin (100), kanamycin (50), erytromycin (30), chloramphenicol (200) and penicilin (25). In vitro antibiosis assays indicated that Rhizobium strains from chickpea nodules exercised an antagonism against Ascocyhta rabiei the agent of ascocyhta blight disease of chickpea.

Key words: Rhizobium, chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), preliminary characterization.