Formation of Nodular Structures on Rice Seedlings by Rhizobia

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Abstract
Nodular structures have been induced on rice roots by treating the roots of 2-d-old seedlings with a cell wall degrading enzyme mixture consisting of 1.0% cellulase YC, 0.1% pectolyase Y23, and 8% mannitol, followed by inoculation with rhizobia in the presence of polyethylene glycol. Rhizobia were located both within the degenerating cytoplasm of cells and between the cells of spherical and elongate nodular structures. Although nitrogenase activity in such structures was at the limit of sensitivity of the assay procedure, this first report of the induction of nodular structures on rice by rhizobia opens up the possibility of extending effective nodulation to non-legumes, including cereals, by facilitating the entry of rhizobia through cell wall degradation coupled with polyethylene glycol treatment.