Interaction Between seedlings of two Acacia Senegal populations from high and low rainfall zones in western sudan and five rhizobium strains

Two Acacia senegal seedlots from western Sudan, one collected near El-Obeid (Al-Ubayyid), a relatively low rainfall zone, and the other near Kas, a high rainfall zone, were inoculated with each of the following Rhizobium strains: strain AR 14, isolated from A. raddiana; strain AN 12, isolated from A. nilotica adjestringens; strain PJ 12, isolated from Prosopis julifora;  strain TAL 1594, isolated from A. pennetula; and strain ASK, isolated from A. senegal.  Seedlings were grown for 5 weeks in a controlled environment room.  Population x Rhizobium strain interaction was significant for shoot height; height of Kas seedlings (high rainfall zone) was more sensitive to strain treatment than that of El-Obeid seedlings (low rainfall zone).  Shoot weight followed the same pattern as height; however, population x strain interaction was not statistically significant.  Seedlings inoculated with the ASK strain modulated earlier than seedlings inoculated with other strains.  This and other studies indicate that identifying proper host-symbiotic combinations can be important to successful forestation with A. senegal.