A total of 46 rhizobial strains were assessed for anaerobic growth in the presence of nitrate, and, using the criteria of nitrate utilization and nitrous oxide and nitrogen production, for their ability to denitrify. Nitrite production was also measured. Half of the strains were denitrifiers: these included all five strains of R. meliloti tested which produced N2 from nitrate and most of the slow-growing rhizobia, but none of the 14 strains of R. trifolii.