Isolamento de bactérias associadas a plantas do bioma caatinga no semiárido nordestino.

A Caatinga é um bioma exclusivamente brasileiro e corresponde a 70% do território nordestino. Esse bioma caracteriza-se pela distribuição irregular das chuvas e pelas características sazonais de sua vegetação, que apresenta forte endemismo. Atrelada a essa rica vegetação e adaptada às condições peculiares desta região, está a microbiota, em especial as rizobactérias. Este trabalho teve por objetivo isolar bactérias e avaliar a densidade destes micro-organismos associados à raiz e rizosfera de plantas de cinco famílias botânicas da Caatinga. As amostras foram separadas em solo da rizosfera e raiz, sendo as amostras de tecido radicular submetidas a um processo de desinfecção superficial. As bactérias associadas à raiz e da rizosfera foram isoladas em meio TSA acrescido de 5% de NaCl. A densidade populacional bacteriana associada à raiz variou de 9,3 X 103 (Cobretum sp.) a 1,9 X 108 (Terminalia sp.) UCF/g TVF e da rizosfera a variação foi de 3,3 X 108 (Schinus sp.) e 8,3 X 104 (Cobretum sp.) UCF/g TVF. A variabilidade morfológica encontrada neste trabalho sugere uma ampla diversidade de genótipos bacterianos associados à rizosfera e raízes de plantas destes gêneros encontrados na Caatinga

Bactérias associadas a plantas do bioma caatinga: fixação de nitrogênio X salinidade.

A Caatinga é um bioma com alto grau de endemismo, típico do Semiárido do Nordeste brasileiro, e enfrenta problemas de salinidade, principalmente nas áreas com agricultura irrigada. A fixação biológica de nitrogênio (FBN) é o principal processo responsável pela entrada de nitrogênio de forma assimilável pelas plantas nos ecossistemas. Neste contexto, este trabalho teve como objetivo selecionar bactérias fixadoras de nitrogênio, isoladas de plantas da Caatinga, e avaliar a influência da salinidade sobre esse processo. As bactérias foram inoculadas em meio semisólido NFb, livre de nitrogênio, e para avaliação da salinidade sobre a FBN foram inoculadas em NFb com o acréscimo de 0,01%; 0,1%; 1%; 2,5%; e 5% de NaCl. Foi observado que 65% das bactérias foram capazes de fixar nitrogênio in vitro, apresentando maior frequência entre as linhagens isoladas da raiz. A estimativa da distância entre o halo de crescimento e a superfície do meio apresentou diferenças entre as bactérias, podendo-se inferir diferenças de tolerância ao oxigênio. Quanto à influência da salinidade sobre a FBN, foi observado que a concentração de 5% inibiu a FBN em todas as linhagens avaliadas. Além disso, as bactérias apresentaram diferentes limites de tolerância quanto à capacidade de fixar nitrogênio in vitro

Combined effect of Pseudomonas sp. and Trichoderma aureoviride on lettuce growth promotion

Plant growth promotion by microorganisms may be a viable alternative to increase lettuce production through pathogens control and nutrients absorption increase. Trichoderma and Pseudomonas genus are examples of widely studied microorganisms with the capacity to promote plant growth. However, there are still gaps regarding the action of the combined effect of these two microorganisms. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of Pseudomonas sp. UAGF14 and Trichoderma aureoviride URM5158 on the development of lettuce plants. The experimental design was completely randomized, with five treatments: CONT (control), CM (soil with organic fertilization), CMB (soil with organic fertilization and Pseudomonas sp.), CMF (soil with organic fertilization and T. aureoviride), and CMFB (soil with organic fertilization, Pseudomonas sp. and T. aureoviride), with ten repetitions. At 30, 40 and 60 days after sowing, the following parameters were analyzed: plant and canopy height and number of leaves. At 60 days after emergence, shoot dry matter, leaf area, root dry matter, root length and chlorophyll were analyzed. Catalase, peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase enzymatic activity were determined. The CMFB treatment had the highest means of lettuce growth promotion, confirming the synergistic effect of the combination of the two microorganism types, as it increased height, canopy, shoot and root dry matter, and chlorophyll levels compared to CONT, although did not differ from CM in some variables. Enzymatic activity was also influenced by the action of these microorganisms combined, evidencing by polyphenol oxidase increase. The CMFB or CM were efficient in promoting lettuce growth, showing positive response to the plant morphological and physiological characteristics. However, few responses were observed in lettuce plant growth in the first cycle evaluated after 60 days, compared CM and CMFB treatments, but both treatments showed superiority in lettuce plant growth submitted to CONT treatment. Therefore, further studies are needed to estimate the long-term effects of combined effect of Pseudomonas sp. UAGF14 and T. aureoviride URM5158 on crop productivity in field conditions

Diazotrophic Bacterial Community of Degraded Pastures

Pasture degradation can cause changes in diazotrophic bacterial communities. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the culturable and total diazotrophic bacterial community, associated with regions of the rhizosphere and roots of Brachiaria decumbens Stapf. pastures in different stages of degradation. Samples of roots and rhizospheric soil were collected from slightly, partially, and highly degraded pastures. McCrady’s table was used to obtain the Most Probable Number (MPN) of bacteria per gram of sample, in order to determine population density and calculate the Shannon-Weaver diversity index. The diversity of total diazotrophic bacterial community was determined by the technique of Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) of the nifH gene, while the diversity of the culturable diazotrophic bacteria was determined by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (BOX-PCR) technique. The increase in the degradation stage of the B. decumbens Stapf. pasture did not reduce the population density of the cultivated diazotrophic bacterial community, suggesting that the degradation at any degree of severity was highly harmful to the bacteria. The structure of the total diazotrophic bacterial community associated with B. decumbens Stapf. was altered by the pasture degradation stage, suggesting a high adaptive capacity of the bacteria to altered environments

Biocontrol of Rhizoctonia solani damping-off and promotion of tomato plant growth by endophytic actinomycetes isolated from native plants of Algerian Sahara

Thirty-four endophytic actinomycetes were isolated from the roots of native plants of the Algerian Sahara. Morphological and chemical studies showed that twenty-nine isolates belonged to the Streptomycesgenus and five were non-Streptomyces. All isolates were screened for their in vitro antifungal activityagainst Rhizoctonia solani. The six that had the greatest pathogen inhibitory capacities were subsequentlytested for their in vivo biocontrol potential on R. solani damping-off in sterilized and non-sterilized soils,and for their plant-growth promoting activities on tomato seedlings. In both soils, coating tomato seedswith antagonistic isolates significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the severity of damping-off of tomato seedlings.Among the isolates tested, the strains CA-2 and AA-2 exhibited the same disease incidence reduction asthioperoxydicarbonic diamide, tetramethylthiram (TMTD) and no significant differences (P < 0.05) wereobserved. Furthermore, they resulted in a significant increase in the seedling fresh weight, the seedling length and the root length of the seed-treated seedlings compared to the control. The taxonomic positionbased on 16S rDNA sequence analysis and phylogenetic studies indicated that the strains CA-2 AA-2were related to Streptomyces mutabilis NBRC 12800ᵀ(100% of similarity) and Streptomyces cyaneofuscatus JCM 4364ᵀ(100% of similarity), respectively

Turning the Table: Plants Consume Microbes as a Source of Nutrients

Interactions between plants and microbes in soil, the final frontier of ecology, determine the availability of nutrients to plants and thereby primary production of terrestrial ecosystems. Nutrient cycling in soils is considered a battle between autotrophs and heterotrophs in which the latter usually outcompete the former, although recent studies have questioned the unconditional reign of microbes on nutrient cycles and the plants' dependence on microbes for breakdown of organic matter. Here we present evidence indicative of a more active role of plants in nutrient cycling than currently considered. Using fluorescent-labeled non-pathogenic and non-symbiotic strains of a bacterium and a fungus (Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, respectively), we demonstrate that microbes enter root cells and are subsequently digested to release nitrogen that is used in shoots. Extensive modifications of root cell walls, as substantiated by cell wall outgrowth and induction of genes encoding cell wall synthesizing, loosening and degrading enzymes, may facilitate the uptake of microbes into root cells. Our study provides further evidence that the autotrophy of plants has a heterotrophic constituent which could explain the presence of root-inhabiting microbes of unknown ecological function. Our discovery has implications for soil ecology and applications including future sustainable agriculture with efficient nutrient cycles