Phosphorus use efficiency for symbiotic nitrogen fixation varies among common bean recombinant inbred lines under P deficiency

This study compared the growth, nodulation, phosphorus use efficiency and nitrogen (N2) fixation by six recombinant inbred lines (RILs) of Phaseolus vulgaris (RILs 147, 28, 83, 34, 7, and 104). These RILs were inoculated with Rhizobium tropici CIAT899 and grown in an aerated nitrogen-free nutrient solution at deficient versus sufficient phosphorous supplies (75 vs. 250 μmol P plant−1 week−1) in a glasshouse. Our results show that plant growth, nodulation, and symbiotic nitrogen fixation were significantly affected by P deficiency for all RILs, whereas this adverse effect was more pronounced in RILs 147, 83, 28 and 7 than in RILs 34 and 104. Under P deficiency, RILs 34 and 104 showed higher efficiency than other RILs in the use of P for their symbiotic N nutrition. It is concluded that P utilization efficiency may be a useful selection criterion for genotypic adaptation of N2-fixing legumes to low P soils