Trifolium repens and T. subterraneum modify their nodule microbiome in response to soil pH

Abstract

The influence of soil edaphic factors on recruitment and composition of bacteria in the legume nodule is unknown. Typically, low (acidic) pH soils have a negative effect on the plant‐rhizobia symbiosis and thereby reduce clover growth. However, the specific relationship between soil pH and the ecology of rhizobia is unknown, in either their free‐living or nodule‐inhabiting states. We used New Zealand pasture systems with soils of different pH, and white (WC) and subterranean (SC) clovers, to examine the relationship between soil pH and the diversity of bacteria that inhabit the nodules.