10 research outputs found
Hygienic characteristics of radishes grown in soil contaminated with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
Background: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a plant growth-promoter. This bacterium is also implicated in human
diseases. Thus, after the use of this bacterium in agriculture, the safety of the final products has to be verified. Due to
the ubiquitous presence of S. maltophilia in soil, in this study a massive contamination was simulated to evaluate the
growth and safety of Raphanus sativus L..
Results: Different inoculums and soil treatment conditions were tested. Soils were analysed weekly and the radishes
at harvest for their microbial loads and presence/persistence of S. maltophilia LMG 6606. The concentration of the
bacterium added in the different trials decreased during the first week, but increased thereafter and determined a
significant increase of growth parameters of radishes.
Conclusions: The addition of S. maltophilia LMG 6606 to non-autoclaved soil enhanced the productivity of radishes.
The bacterium did not internalize in the hypocotyls, but colonized the external surface ensuring the safety of the
products. Thus, a sanitizing bath of hypocotyls before consumption is necessary
The versatility and adaptation of bacteria from the genus <em>Stenotrophomonas</em>
The genus Stenotrophomonas comprises at least eight species. These bacteria are found throughout the environment, particularly in close association with plants. Strains of the most predominant species, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, have an extraordinary range of activities that include beneficial effects for plant growth and health, the breakdown of natural and man-made pollutants that are central to bioremediation and phytoremediation strategies and the production of biomolecules of economic value, as well as detrimental effects, such as multidrug resistance, in human pathogenic strains. Here, we discuss the versatility of the bacteria in the genus Stenotrophomonas and the insight that comparative genomic analysis of clinical and endophytic isolates of S. maltophilia has brought to our understanding of the adaptation of this genus to various niches