Atypical rhizobia trigger nodulation and pathogenesis on the same legume hosts.

The emergence of commensalism and mutualism often derives from ancestral parasitism. However, in the case of rhizobium-legume interactions, bacterial strains displaying both pathogenic and nodulation features on a single host have not been described yet. Here, we isolated such a bacterium from Medicago nodules.

Wild species: A reservoir of resistance genes for sustainable pyramidal resistance to broomrape in sunflower.

Wall., sunflower broomrape, is one of the major pests for the sunflower crop. Breeding for resistant varieties in sunflower has been the most efficient method to control this parasitic weed.