Inoculant of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Rhizophagus clarus) increase yield of soybean and cotton under field conditions

Nutrient availability is an important factor in crop production, and regular addition of chemical fertilizers is the most common practice to improve yield in agrosystems for intensive crop production. The use of some groups of microorganisms that have specific activity providing nutrients to plants is a good alternative, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) enhance plant nutrition by providing especially phosphorus (P), improving plant growth and increasing crop production. Unfortunately, the use of AMF as an inoculant on a large scale is not yet widely used, because of several limitations in obtaining a large amount of inoculum due to several factors, such as low growth, the few species domesticated under in vitro conditions, and high competition with native AMF. The objective of this work was to test the infectivity of a Rhizophagus clarus inoculum and its effectiveness as an alternative for P supply in soybean (Glycine max L.) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). The experiments were carried out in plots and the treatments were: Fertilizer; AMF, AMF + Fertilizer and AMF + ½ Fertilizer; non-inoculated and non-fertilized plants were considered the control. The parameters evaluated were AMF root colonization and effect of inoculation on plant growth and yield under a field conditions. The results showed that AMF inoculation increased the effect of fertilizer application in soybean, and that in cotton R. clarus was more effective than chemical fertilize

Inoculation of Schizolobium parahyba with mycorrhizal fungi and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria increases wood yield under field conditions

Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum (Huber ex Ducke) occurs naturally in the Brazilian Amazon. Currently, it is being planted extensively because of its fast growth and excellent use in forestry. Consequently, there is great interest in new strategies to increase wood production. The interaction between soil microorganisms and plants, specifically in the roots, provides essential nutrients for plant growth. These interactions can have growth-promoting effects. In this way, this study assessed the effect of the inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on growth of S. parahyba var. amazonicum under field conditions. We used two native species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Claroideoglomus etunicatum (Ce) and Acaulospora sp. (Ac); two native strains of Rhizobium sp. (Rh1 and Rh2); and a non-native strain of Burkholderia sp. Different combinations of microorganisms were supplemented with chemical fertilizers (doses D1 and D2) in two planting methods, seed sowing and seedling planting. In seed sowing, the results showed that treatments with Ce/Rh1/Fertilizer D2 and Ac/No PGPR/Fertilizer D2 increased wood yield. In seedling planting, two combinations (Ac/Rh2/Fertilizer D1 and Ac/Rh1/Fertilizer D1) were more effective in increasing seedling growth. In these experiments, inoculation with AMF and PGPR increased wood yield by about 20% compared to the application of fertilizer alone

Bioactive organocopper compound from Pseudomonas aeruginosa inhibits the growth of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri

Citrus canker is a lot destructive disease of citrus species. The challenge is to find new compounds that show strong antibiotic activity, low toxicity to plants and the environment. The objectives of the present study are (1) produce, purify and evaluate the antibiotic activity of secondary metabolites produced by induction by P. aeruginosa LV strain in vitro against Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (strain 306), (2) study the potential for semi-purified secondary metabolites on foliar application to control citrus canker under greenhouse conditions, (3) identify the antibiotic activity in orange leaf mesophyll infected with strain 306 by electron microscopy. Two pure bioactive compounds were isolated, organocopper antibiotic compound and phenazine-1-carboxamide. The phenazine-1-carboxamide did not show any antibiotic activity under the experimental conditions used in this study. The organocopper antibiotic compound showed a high level of antibiotic activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.12 µg mL-1. In greenhouse tests for control of citrus canker in orange trees, the semi-purified fraction F3d, reduced lesion formation about 97%. The concentration used was five hundred times lower than recommended commercial product of metallic copper-based. Electron microscopy showed that F3d altered the exopolysaccharide matrix and causing cell lysis of the pathogen inside the citrus canker lesions. These results suggest that secondary metabolites produced by induction by P. aeruginosa LV strain has a high potential to be used as a bioproduct to control citrus canker