diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AbstractPollingInboundChannelAdapterParser.java b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AbstractPollingInboundChannelAdapterParser.java
index fd1771761b..a1f4308413 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AbstractPollingInboundChannelAdapterParser.java
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AbstractPollingInboundChannelAdapterParser.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import org.w3c.dom.Element;
 
 import org.springframework.beans.BeanMetadataElement;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanDefinition;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.RuntimeBeanReference;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionBuilder;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.ParserContext;
@@ -45,9 +46,19 @@ public abstract class AbstractPollingInboundChannelAdapterParser extends Abstrac
 		BeanDefinitionBuilder adapterBuilder = BeanDefinitionBuilder
 				.genericBeanDefinition(SourcePollingChannelAdapterFactoryBean.class);
 
-		String channelAdapterId = this.resolveId(element, adapterBuilder.getRawBeanDefinition(), parserContext);
-		String sourceBeanName = channelAdapterId + ".source";
-		parserContext.getRegistry().registerBeanDefinition(sourceBeanName, (BeanDefinition) source);
+		String sourceBeanName = null;
+
+		if (source instanceof BeanDefinition) {
+			String channelAdapterId = this.resolveId(element, adapterBuilder.getRawBeanDefinition(), parserContext);
+			sourceBeanName = channelAdapterId + ".source";
+			parserContext.getRegistry().registerBeanDefinition(sourceBeanName, (BeanDefinition) source);
+		}
+		else if (source instanceof RuntimeBeanReference) {
+			sourceBeanName = ((RuntimeBeanReference) source).getBeanName();
+		}
+		else {
+			parserContext.getReaderContext().error("Wrong 'source' type: must be 'BeanDefinition' or 'RuntimeBeanReference'", source);
+		}
 
 		adapterBuilder.addPropertyReference("source", sourceBeanName);
 		adapterBuilder.addPropertyReference("outputChannel", channelName);
diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/config/ChannelAdapterParserTests-context.xml b/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/config/ChannelAdapterParserTests-context.xml
index 933963f608..7a275d23a7 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/config/ChannelAdapterParserTests-context.xml
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/config/ChannelAdapterParserTests-context.xml
@@ -65,4 +65,12 @@
 
 	<inbound-channel-adapter channel="channelAdapter2Channel"  ref="counter2" method="incrementAndGet"/>
 
+	<beans:bean id="testMessageSource" class="org.springframework.integration.config.TestSource"/>
+
+	<channel id="messageSourceRefChannel">
+		<queue/>
+	</channel>
+
+	<inbound-channel-adapter id="adapterWithMessageSourceRef" channel="messageSourceRefChannel"  ref="testMessageSource"/>
+
 </beans:beans>
diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/config/ChannelAdapterParserTests.java b/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/config/ChannelAdapterParserTests.java
index 0d96ea5e01..9411fa95f0 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/config/ChannelAdapterParserTests.java
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/config/ChannelAdapterParserTests.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertNull;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertSame;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertThat;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 import static org.junit.Assert.fail;
@@ -37,6 +38,7 @@ import org.springframework.integration.MessageChannel;
 import org.springframework.integration.MessageDeliveryException;
 import org.springframework.integration.MessageDispatchingException;
 import org.springframework.integration.channel.DirectChannel;
+import org.springframework.integration.core.MessageSource;
 import org.springframework.integration.core.PollableChannel;
 import org.springframework.integration.endpoint.EventDrivenConsumer;
 import org.springframework.integration.endpoint.SourcePollingChannelAdapter;
@@ -294,8 +296,22 @@ public class ChannelAdapterParserTests {
 		}
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testMessageSourceRef() {
+		PollableChannel channel = this.applicationContext.getBean("messageSourceRefChannel", PollableChannel.class);
+
+		Message<?> message = channel.receive(5000);
+		assertNotNull(message);
+		assertEquals("test", message.getPayload());
+
+		MessageSource<?> testMessageSource = this.applicationContext.getBean("testMessageSource", MessageSource.class);
+		SourcePollingChannelAdapter adapterWithMessageSourceRef = this.applicationContext.getBean("adapterWithMessageSourceRef", SourcePollingChannelAdapter.class);
+		MessageSource<?> source = TestUtils.getPropertyValue(adapterWithMessageSourceRef, "source", MessageSource.class);
+		assertSame(testMessageSource, source);
+	}
+
 	public static class SampleBean {
-		private String message = "hello";
+		private final String message = "hello";
 
 		String getMessage() {
 			return message;