The activities of enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism have been determinated in the host cytosolic and bacteroid fractions of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) nodules formed with B. japonicum I 16 and in roots of nodulated cowpeas. The host cytosolic fraction of the nodules contained the enzymes of glycolytic pathway and the pentose phosphate pathway, whereas the bacteroids had only limited capacity for carbohydrate metabolism and appeared to be insufficient for the complete glycolytic pathway as well as starch synthesis and degradation. In a time-course study, using plants grown in a glasshouse, the acetylene-reducing activity (ARA) of the nodules increased in parallel with the total N content of plants and protein of the nodules until approximately 8 weeks after planting. Subsequently, the weight and size of the nodules and the weight of the plants continued to increase, but there was a sharp decrease in the ARA and the total N content of the plants.