Summary
A phenetic analysis showed that peas from Afghanistan which are resistant to nodulation by European strains of Rhizobium leguminosarum form a close-knit group. They are quite distinct from susceptible lines found in Afghanistan, which are much more diverse and show a range of variation almost as extensive as a world-wide sample. The resistant peas possess a number of distinctive features, including small flowers, small pods and brown-marbled seeds. A high proportion are also resistant to powdery mildew (Erysiphe polygoni). They were collected over a wide area of Afghanistan, and a Rhizobium-resistant line from Israel is also very similar. Limited evidence suggests that resistant and susceptible varieties may coexist throughout the area from Israel to Afghanistan, and that “universal” Rhizobium strains, able to nodulate resistant plants, may have a similar range. However, both resistance and universal strains were left behind when pea cultivation spread north into Europe.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Ben-Ze'Ev, N, and Zohary, D. 1973. Species relationships in the genus Pisum L. Israel J Bot, 22, 73–91.
Govorov, L I. 1928. The peas of Afghanistan. Bull Appl Bot Genet Pl Br, 19, 497–522.
Govorov, L I. 1937. Peas. In Cultivated Flora of the USSR, vol. 4, Moscow and Leningrad, pp. 231–336.
Johnson, M W, Snoad, B, and Da Vies, D R. 1971. A computer based record system for Pisum. Euphytica, 20, 126–130.
Lie, T A. 1971. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation under stress conditions. Plant Soil, Special Volume, 117–127.
Lie, T A. 1978. Symbiotic specialization in pea plants: the requirement of specific Rhizobium strains for peas from Afghanistan. Ann Appl Biol, 88, 462–465.
Matthews, P, and Bayer, O. 1981. Field resistance of peas to powdery mildew (Erysiphe polygoni). John Innes Ann Rept for 1980, 28–29.
Matthews, P, and Rushbrook, D. 1981. John Innes Pisum Germplasm Collection. John Innes Ann Rept for, 1980, 28.
Sneath, P H A, and Sokal, R R. 1973. Numerical Taxonomy. Freeman, San Francisco, 573pp.
Young, J P W, Johnston, A W B, and Brewin, N J. 1982. A search for peas (Pisum sativum L.) showing strain specificity for symbiotic Rhizobium leguminosarum. Heredity, 48, 197–207.
Zohary, D, and Hopf, M. 1973. Domestication of pulses in the old world. Science, 182, 887–894.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Young, J., Matthews, P. A distinct class of peas (Pisum sativum L.) from Afghanistan that show strain specificity for symbiotic Rhizobium. Heredity 48, 203–210 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1982.26
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1982.26
This article is cited by
-
Natural range, habitats and populations of wild peas (Pisum L.)
Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution (2023)
-
Genetic diversity in European Pisum germplasm collections
Theoretical and Applied Genetics (2012)
-
The genetic diversity and evolution of field pea (Pisum) studied by high throughput retrotransposon based insertion polymorphism (RBIP) marker analysis
BMC Evolutionary Biology (2010)
-
sym 18. A novel gene conditioning altered strain specificity in Pisum sativum cv. ?Sparkle?
Plant and Soil (1996)
-
Peas (Pisum sativum L.) with strain specificity for Rhizobium leguminosarum
Heredity (1984)