Nodulation of beach pea (Lathyrus maritimus [L.] Bigel.) induced by different strains of rhizobia

In an attempt to screen the most effective rhizobial strain for the potential cold-climate legume crop beach pea (Lathyrus maritimus L.), rhizobia from eight different species of Lathyrus were tested along with the native strain on a 9-wk-long pot culture. The native strain, ACCCRC, isolated from beach pea proved to be the most effective. The tropical legume grass pea (L. sativus L.) tested with the above strains failed to nodulate with ACCCRC, USDA 2422 and USDA 2446. Oleosome content of nodules assessed from histological sections reveals higher numbers in beach pea than in grass pea. Key words: Lathyrus maritimus L., Lathyrus sativus L., root nodules, oleosomes (lipid bodies)