Characterization of bacillus isolates of potato rhizosphere from Andean soils of Peru and their potential PGPR characteristics

A. Lopez-Lopez, M. A. Rogel-Hernandez, Monica Rosenblueth, and L. Raymundo are thanked for technical assistance. This research was supported by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (Concytec), Integrated Crop Management Division of International Potato Center (CIP), FDA biol-111/UNALM, DGAPA-PAPIIT IN200709 project, and Red Biofag-Cyted. We are grateful to Dr. Andreas Oswald (CIP) for his support in the collection of samples.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Tecnológica - Concyte

Molecular characterisation of the diazotrophic bacterial community in uninoculated and inoculated field-grown sugarcane (<em>Saccharum</em> sp.)

To identify active diazotrophs in sugarcane, 16S rRNA and nifH transcript analyses were applied. This should help to better understand the basis of the biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) activity of a high nitrogen fixing sugarcane variety. A field experiment using the sugarcane variety RB 867515 was conducted in Serop&eacute;dica, RJ, Brazil, receiving the following treatments: unfertilised and fertilised controls without inoculation, unfertilised with inoculation. The five-strain mixture developed by EMBRAPA-CNPAB was used as inoculum. Root and leaf sheath samples were harvested in the third year of cultivation to analyse the 16S rRNA and nifH transcript diversity. In addition to nifH expression from Gluconacetobacter spp. and Burkholderia spp., a wide diversity of nifH sequences from previously uncharacterised Ideonella/Herbaspirillum related phylotypes in sugarcane shoots as well as Bradyrhizobium sp. and Rhizobium sp. in roots was found. These results were confirmed using 16S cDNA analysis. From the inoculated bacteria, only nifH transcripts from G. diazotrophicus and B. tropica were detected in leaf sheaths and roots. Known as well as yet uncultivated diazotrophs were found active in sugarcane roots and stems using molecular analyses. Two strains of the inoculum mix were identified at the late summer harvest

Phenotypic and genotypic characterisation of root nodule bacteria nodulating Millettia pinnata (L.) Panigrahi, a biodiesel tree

Aims. Milletia pinnata is a leguminous tropical tree that produces seed oil suitable for biodiesel and is targeted to be planted on marginal land associated with nitrogen poor soil. This study aimed to identify effective rhizobia species for M. pinnata. Methods. Soil samples were collected from M. pinnata grown in Kununurra, Australia. Rhizobia were trapped, characterised and sequenced for 16S rRNA, atpD, dnaK and recA genes. Results. Forty isolates tolerated pH 7 – 9, temperatures 29 – 37 °C, salinity below 1 % NaCl, and had optimal growth on mannitol, arabinose or glutamate as a single carbon source, a few grew on sucrose and none grew on lactose. Inoculation of isolates increased shoot dry weight of M. pinnata’s seedlings in nitrogen minus media. Slow-growing isolates were closely related to Bradyrhizobium yuanmingense, Bradyrhizobium sp. DOA10, Bradyrhizobium sp. ORS305 and B. liaoningense LMG 18230T. The fast-growing isolates related to Rhizobium sp. 8211, R. miluonense CCBAU 41251T, R miluonense CC-B-L1, Rhizobium sp. CCBAU 51330 and Rhizobium sp. 43015. Conclusions. Millettia pinnata was effectively nodulated by slow-growing isolates related to Bradyrhizobium yuanmingense, Bradyrhizobium sp. DOA10 Bradyrhizobium sp. ORS305, B. liaoningense LMG 18230T and fast-growing isolates related Rhizobium sp. 8211, R. miluonense, Rhizobium sp. CCBAU 51330 and Rhizobium sp. 43015