Two DNA fragments, a 730-bp and a 900-bp fragment, one homologous to host cultivar specificity genes nolBT of Sinorhizobium fredii and the other one homologous to RSalpha, an insertion-like sequence present in Bradyrhizobium japonicum, were generated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with two pairs of primers. The amount of each fragment generated by the multiplex PCR was proportional to the amount of template DNA present. The amplification of the 900-bp RSalpha fragment was more sensitive, since it was amplified from a smaller amount of template DNA than the 730-bp nolBT fragment. By running the multiplex reaction in the presence of template DNA isolated from different sources, we confirmed that the reaction can discriminate between S. fredii, Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Sinorhizobium xinjiangensis.