Remodeling of the composition of the membrane’s lipids of buckwheat plants (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.) under conditions of phosphorous deficiency and seed bacterization with phosphate solubilizing microorganisms

This paper presents research results on the sensitivity of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.) inoculated with phosphate solubilizing microorganisms (PSM) to phosphorus deficiency using the transformation of major photosynthetic tissues membrane lipids as the indicator. The analysis of glyco- and phospholipids performed has revealed the plants’ ability to react to a deficit in phosphorus with the selective accumulation of sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG) and digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) along with a decrease in phosphatidylglycerol (PG). Pre-sowing seed bacterization with PSM has balanced out the negative impact of a phosphorus deficiency on plants by stabilizing the PG content and reducing the difference in the PG/SQDG ratio

A survey of the microbial community in the rhizosphere of two dominant shrubs of the Negev Desert highlands, Zygophyllum dumosum (Zygophyllaceae) and Atriplex halimus (Amaranthaceae), using cultivation-dependent and cultivation-independent methods.

UnlabelledPremise of the studyPlant roots comprise more than 50% of the plant's biomass. Part of that biomass includes the root microbiome, the assemblage of bacteria and fungi living in the 1-3 mm region adjacent to the external surface of the root, the rhizosphere. We hypothesized that the microorganisms living in the rhizosphere and in bulk soils of the harsh environment of the Negev Desert of Israel had potential for use as plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) to improve plant productivity in nutrient-poor, arid soils that are likely to become more common as the climate changes. •MethodsWe used cultivation-dependent methods including trap experiments with legumes to find nitrogen-fixing rhizobia, specialized culture media to determine iron chelation via siderophores and phosphate-solubilizing and cellulase activities; cultivation-independent methods, namely 16S rDNA cloning and sequencing; and also community-level physiological profiling to discover soil microbes associated with the Negev desert perennials Zygophyllum dumosum and Atriplex halimus during the years 2009-2010. •Key resultsWe identified a number of PGPB, both epiphytes and endophytes, which fix nitrogen, chelate iron, solubilize phosphate, and secrete cellulase, as well as many other bacteria and some fungi, thereby providing a profile of the microbiomes that support the growth of two desert perennials. •ConclusionWe generated a snapshot of the microbial communities in the Negev Desert, giving us an insight in its natural state. This desert, like many arid environments, is vulnerable to exploitation for other purposes, including solar energy production and dry land farming