Inoculantes rizobianos para alfalfa en suelos ácidos: Una propuesta para Uruguay

Ensifer meliloti establishes symbiosis with Medicago sativa (alfalfa) and other perennial species of Medicago that grow in soils with neutral to alkaline pH, whereas Ensifer medicae makes symbiosis with annual medics adapted to moderately acid soils. The new species Rhizobium favelukesii, whose strain is LPU83, belongs to an alfalfa group of inefficient rhizobia, known as the Oregon type, initially represented by Rhizobium sp. strain Or191. R. favelukesii is considered a potential risk in the acid soils where alfalfa is grown, and could explain the inefficient nodulation observed in different countries. In acidic soils from the «Dairy Basin» of Uruguay, producers inoculate alfalfa with E. melliloti U143 strain. This edaphic condition is often marginal because the maximum potential of rhizobia-alfalfa symbiosis is not achieved at acid pH. Although Uruguay has an outstanding position in the production and use of rhizobial inoculants, the commercial strains currently used in Trifolium, Lotus and alfalfa were selected about 50 years ago in different conditions that the present ones as a consequence of: i) the displacement of cultivated pastures to other sites, ii) the sowing method, and iii) the use of new cultivars. In this review, alfalfa inoculation is analyzed in some countries and a strategy for the development of an inoculant suitable for Uruguayan acid soils is proposed. This strategy is based on the selection of efficient and competitive strains, as the first selection criteria, and persistency in soil as the second one.Ensifer meliloti establece simbiosis con Medicago sativa (alfalfa) y otras especies perennes de Medicago que crecen en suelos con pH neutro a alcalino, mientras que Ensifer medicae lo hace con especies anuales adaptadas a suelos moderadamente ácidos. La nueva especie Rhizobium favelukesii, cuya cepa tipo es LPU83, pertenece a un grupo de rizobios ineficientes en alfalfa conocidos como tipo Oregon, representados inicialmente por Rhizobium sp. cepa Or191. R. favelukesii; se considera un riesgo potencial en suelos ácidos en los que se cultiva alfalfa, y podría explicar la nodulación ineficiente en diferentes países. En suelos ácidos de la «Cuenca lechera» de Uruguay los productores inoculan alfalfa con E. meliloti cepa U143. Esa condición edáfica a veces resulta marginal para la simbiosis rizobio-alfalfa porque a pH ácido no se logra su máximo potencial. Si bien Uruguay tiene una posición destacada en la producción y uso de inoculantes rizobianos, las cepas comerciales usadas actualmente en especies de Trifolium, Lotus y alfalfa se seleccionaron hace unos 50 años en condiciones diferentes a las actuales, consecuencia de: i) el desplazamiento de pasturas cultivadas a otros sitios, ii) el tipo de siembra y iii) el uso de nuevos cultivares. En esta revisión se analiza la inoculación de la alfalfa en algunos países y se propone una estrategia para el desarrollo de un inoculante apto para suelos ácidos en Uruguay. Esta estrategia se basa en la selección de cepas eficientes y competitivas como primer criterio y persistencia en suelos, como segundo.Fil: Tabares da Rosa, Sofía. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Signorelli, Santiago. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: del Papa, Maria Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Sabatini, Ornella. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Reyno, Rafael. Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria; UruguayFil: Lattanzi, Fernando. Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria; UruguayFil: Rebuffo, Mónica. Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria; UruguayFil: Sanjuán, Juan. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; EspañaFil: Monza Galetti, Jorge. Universidad de la República; Urugua

Rhizobia Inoculants for Alfalfa in Acid Soils: A Proposal for Uruguay

Ensifer meliloti establishes symbiosis with Medicago sativa (alfalfa) and other perennial species of Medicago that grow in soils with neutral to alkaline pH, whereas Ensifer medicae makes symbiosis with annual medics adapted to moderately acid soils. The new species Rhizobium favelukesii, whose strain is LPU83, belongs to an alfalfa group of inefficient rhizobia, known as the Oregon type, initially represented by Rhizobium sp. strain Or191. R. favelukesii is considered a potential risk in the acid soils where alfalfa is grown, and could explain the inefficient nodulation observed in different countries. In acidic soils from the «Dairy Basin» of Uruguay, producers inoculate alfalfa with E. melliloti U143 strain. This edaphic condition is often marginal because the maximum potential of rhizobia-alfalfa symbiosis is not achieved at acid pH. Although Uruguay has an outstanding position in the production and use of rhizobial inoculants, the commercial strains currently used in Trifolium, Lotus and alfalfa were selected about 50 years ago in different conditions that the present ones as a consequence of: i) the displacement of cultivated pastures to other sites, ii) the sowing method, and iii) the use of new cultivars. In this review, alfalfa inoculation is analyzed in some countries and a strategy for the development of an inoculant suitable for Uruguayan acid soils is proposed. This strategy is based on the selection of efficient and competitive strains, as the first selection criteria, and persistency in soil as the second one.Instituto de Biotecnologia y Biologia Molecula

Where does this image take you? A visual tale from a workshop on geographical imaginations

This work is authored by a group of Ph.D. students and academics who attended a workshop on visual methodologies in the framework of the Scuola di alta formazione in geografia organised by AGeI (Association of Italian Geographers), 2022 edition. By visually reporting the workshop activities we aim at reflecting on the creative power of images in expanding geographical imaginations and its potential in the teaching of geography. The paper is shaped as a visual essay in which images and text do not refer directly to each other but rather aim at creating an imaginative reading flow