Nodulation Specificity of Aspalathus linearis subsp. linearis, a Shrub Tea Legume Indigenous to the Western Cape

Abstract

Aspalathus linearis subsp. linearis (A. l. subsp. linearis) is a shrub legume found solely in the Cape region of South Africa. The export of its leaves and twigs as “Rooibos tea” earns about $10 million annually to the South African economy. The genus Aspalathus, to which A. l. subsp. linearis belongs, consists of 245 species. These species are nodulated by Bradyrhizobium bacteria (Staphorst, Strijdom 1975). The aim of this study was to examine the nodulation of A. l. subsp. linearis with native bacteria in soils collected from nine different localities throughout South Africa and Namibia, and to test cross-infectivity by bradyrhizobial isolates and standard laboratory strains.KeywordsNodulation ResponseNative BacteriumSouth African EconomyShrub LegumeLegume IndigenousThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.