Use of potato extract broth for culturing root-nodule bacteria

Liquid media containing potato extract and 1% of glucose or sucrose were used to culture root-nodule bacteria (rhizobia) in shaken Erlenmeyer flasks. For comparison, these bacteria were also cultured in yeast extract-mannitol broth (YEMB) as a standard medium. Proliferation of rhizobia was monitored by measuring optical densities (OD550) of the cultures and by plate counting of the viable cells (c.f.u) of the bacteria. In general, multiplication of the rhizobia in potato extract-glucose broth (PEGB) and potato extract-sucrose broth (PESB) was markedly faster, as indicated by higher values of OD550, than in YEMB. The numbers of R. leguminosarum by. vicae GGL and S. meliloti 330 in PEGB and PEGB were high and ranged from 1.2 x 10(10) to 4.9 x 10(10) mL(-1) after 48 h of incubation at 28 degrees C. B. japonicum B3S culture in PEGB contained 6.4 x 10(9) c.f.u. ml(-1) after 72 h of incubation. PEGB and YEMB cultures of the rhizobia were similar with respect to their beneficial effects on nodulation of the host-plants of these bacteria.