Nodulation in the Legume Biofuel Feedstock Tree Pongamia pinnata

Abstract

The legume tree Pongamia pinnata (also called Millettia pinnata) is gaining importance as a biofuel feedstock tree because of the abundant annual production of oil-rich seeds, adaptation to a wide range of geoclimatic conditions and significant resistance to abiotic stress, such as water-deficit, salinity and acidity of soils. The major defining benefit of using pongamia as a biofuel feedstock is that it is a legume, enabling biological nitrogen fixation through symbiosis with soil bacteria, collectively called rhizobia, which results in root nodulation. Here, we report preliminary data, (i) indicating the range of rhizobia that can form nodules on pongamia, (ii) demonstrating the measurement of nitrogen fixation activity of pongamia nodules via the classical acetylene reduction assay, (iii) illustrating nodule morphology and development and (iv) demonstrating aspects of nodule regulation by external nitrate as well as internal autoregulation of nodulation. We note that in pongamia most nodulation-related characteristics are similar to those found in other annual crop legumes such as soybean.