Na Morais, Paula Lorenzo and Maurizio Cocucci Received: 24 August 2021 Accepted: 14 OctoberNa Morais,

Na Morais, Paula Lorenzo and Maurizio Cocucci Received: 24 August 2021 Accepted: 14 October
Na Morais, Paula Lorenzo and Maurizio Cocucci Received: 24 August 2021 Accepted: 14 October 2021 Published: 21 OctoberAbstract: Leucaena leucocephala (Fabaceae) is native to 1-?Furfurylpyrrole Cancer Central America and has invaded lots of climatic regions from the tropics. In South Africa, the species is categorized as an emerging or incipient weed applied as fodder, timber, firewood and in erosion control on degraded habitats. The species is typical along the eastern subtropical regions of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, where it invades grasslands, savannas and edges of forests. Soils of these ecosystems are characterized as nutrient deficient and acidic. Employing a pot trial, we determined the effects with the nutrient addition treatments on microbial symbiosis, N nutrition and biomass accumulation of L. leucocephala under greenhouse circumstances. Soon after 180 days of growth, plants were Tunicamycin Protocol harvested, and their utilization of N derived from the atmosphere and in the soil was quantified through determination of 15 N values. L. leucocephala maintained growth and N nutrition by relying on both atmospheric- and soil-derived N across all soil treatments. The NDFA was drastically larger in higher P (N1 + P, N2 + P and N3 + P) soils. L. leucocephala was capable to nodulate with intermediate and fast-growing strains from the Mesorhizobium and Rhizobium genus in N2 + P grown plants. This shows that L. leucocephala possesses traits which might be profitable in acquiring nutrients, specially in nutrient limited circumstances, by establishing plant symbiosis with a number of bacteria and relying on extracting N in the soil and in the atmosphere by way of the symbiosis. Keyword phrases: emerging invasive; KZN soils; Leucaena leucocephala; N fixation; N and P deficiencies1. Introduction L. leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit (Fabaceae) is native to Central America and has been introduced in numerous geographic and climatic regions [1]. The species has been listed within the best 100 worst invaders with the planet following deliberate introductions for agroforestry [1]. In South Africa, L. leucocephala is categorized as an emerging or incipient weed mostly occurring inside the eastern subtropical components of the country [2] created up of grassland, forest and savanna. However, most invasions have already been noted within the savanna biome [3]. Savanna and grassland ecosystems provide several ecosystem services [4] and contribute for the rural and agricultural economy of South Africa in a variety of strategies [5], along with the rural socioeconomy [6]. Thus, sustainable management of plant biodiversity is an integral a part of these ecosystems. South African savanna and grassland ecosystems are reported to become nutrient restricted, particularly with regards to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) [7,8]. In addition, the soils are also acidic [9]. Legume plants demand N and P for various processes including nodule growth and function [10]. Despite the nutrient limitations within the savanna and grassland ecosystems, the legume taxa continue to thrive and are most represented amongst the invasive species in nutrient poor ecosystems [11]. N-fixing bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi symbiosis has been recognized as the driver ofPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Copyright: 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This short article is an open access write-up distributed beneath the terms and situations in the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/lice.