Comparative Study of Rhizobium Isogenic Strains in Symbiosis with Phaseolus Vulgaris under Saline Stress

Salinity of soils may adversely affect the formation of effective symbioses between Rhizobium and Phaseolus vulgaris. This legume is considered very sensitive to salinity, whereas there is a great variability of responses to different NaCl concentrations by free-living Rhizobium. Whereas many studies have used tolerant and non-tolerant strains to reveal the importance of Rhizobium tolerance to NaCl for the outcome of the symbiosis, few studies have made use of isogenic strains to actually verify this point.