Dependence on Nitrogen Availability and Rhizobial Symbiosis of Different Accessions of , a Crop Wild Relative Legume Species, as Related to Physiological Traits.

Biological nitrogen fixation by legume-rhizobacterial symbiosis in temperate grasslands is an important source of soil nitrogen. The aim of the present study was to characterize the dependence of different accessions of a rare crop wild relative legume species, from their native rhizobia as well as additional nitrogen fertilization in controlled conditions. Asymbiotically cultivated, mineral-fertilized plants gradually showed signs of nitrogen deficiency, appearing as a decrease in leaf chlorophyll concentration, leaf senescence, and a decrease in growth rate.