Isolation and characteristics of sulfentrazone-degrading bacteria.

This study aimed to isolate and characterize bacteria able to use sulfentrazone in the commercial formulation as their sole carbon source. The isolation of the potential sulfentrazone-degrading bacteria was made from soil samples with a recent history of herbicide application and from isolates identified through rDNA sequencing. Subsequently, we assessed the growth of the isolates and their sulfentrazone degradation ability using high-performance liquid chromatography. Twenty-six potential sulfentrazone-degrading bacterial isolates were obtained in pure culture. Through analysis of the rDNA sequences, the predominance of bacterial species of the genus Pseudomonas was found. The isolates presented a differentiated ability of sulfentrazone degradation. The presence of herbicide in the culture medium reduced the log phase of four isolates. Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas lutea, Pseudomonas plecoglossicida and three isolates of Pseudomonas sp. showed higher sulfentrazone degradation capacity, which varied from 4 to 15%. This is the first report of the Pseudomonas genre capable of sulfentrazone degradation. The isolates obtained present potential use in bioremediation programs for soil contaminated with sulfentrazone.

Endophytic microbial diversity in coffee cherries of Coffea arabica from southeastern Brazil.

The microbiota associated with coffee plants may play a critical role in the final expression of coffee quality. However, the microbial diversity in coffee cherries is still poorly characterized. Here, we investigated the endophytic diversity in cherries of Coffea arabica by using culture-independent approaches to identify the associated microbes, ultimately to better understand their ecology and potential role in determining coffee quality. Group-specific 16S rRNA and 26S rRNA genes polymerase chain reaction - denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and clone library sequencing showed that the endophytic community is composed of members of the 3 domains of life. Bacterial sequences showing high similarity with cultured and uncultured bacteria belonged to the Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Firmicutes phyla. Phylogenetic analyses of cloned sequences from Firmicutes revealed that most sequences fell into 3 major genera: Bacillus, Staphylococcus, and Paenibacillus. Archaeal sequences revealed the presence of operational taxonomic units belonging to Euryarchaeota and Crenarchaeota phyla. Sequences from endophytic yeast were not recovered, but various distinct sequences showing high identity with filamentous fungi were found. There was no obvious correlation between the microbial composition and cultivar or geographic location of the coffee plant. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating internal tissue colonization of plant fruits by members of the Archaea domain. The finding of archaeal small-subunit rRNA in coffee cherries, although not sufficient to indicate their role as active endophytes, certainly expands our perspectives toward considering members of this domain as potential endophytic microbes.

Fungal rock phosphate solubilization using sugarcane bagasse.

The effects of different doses of rock phosphate (RP), sucrose, and (NH(4))(2)SO(4) on the solubilization of RP from Araxá and Catalão (Brazil) by Aspergillus niger, Penicillium canescens, Eupenicillium ludwigii, and Penicillium islandicum were evaluated in a solid-state fermentation (SSF) system with sugarcane bagasse. The factors evaluated were combined following a 2(3) + 1 factorial design to determine their optimum concentrations. The fitted response surfaces showed that higher doses of RP promoted higher phosphorus (P) solubilization. The addition of sucrose did not have effects on P solubilization in most treatments due to the presence of soluble sugars in the bagasse. Except for A. niger, all the fungi required high (NH(4))(2)SO(4) doses to achieve the highest level of P solubilization. Inversely, addition of (NH(4))(2)SO(4) was inhibitory to P solubilization by A. niger. Among the fungi tested, A. niger stood out, showing the highest solubilization capacity and for not requiring sucrose or (NH(4))(2)SO(4) supplementation. An additional experiment with A. niger showed that the content of soluble P can be increased by adding higher RP doses in the medium. However, P yield decreases with increasing RP doses. In this experiment, the maximal P yield (approximately 60 %) was achieved with the lower RP dose (3 g L(-1)). Our results show that SSF can be used to obtain a low cost biofertilizer rich in P combining RP, sugarcane bagasse, and A. niger. Moreover, sugarcane bagasse is a suitable substrate for SSF aiming at RP solubilization, since this residue can supply the C and N necessary for the metabolism of A. niger within a range that favors RP solubilization.

Rhizosphere microbiological processes and eucalypt nutrition: Synthesis and conceptualization.

In this review, we present the state of art regarding rhizosphere effects on eucalypt plantations. It provides a greater understanding of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) turnover in forest soils. P organic hydrolysis, soil mineral solubilization, indoleacetic acid, gibberellin, resistance factors, and production of siderophores by rhizosphere microbial populations help to explain the tolerance of Eucalyptus plants to biotic and abiotic stresses and the apparent steady-state condition of C and N soil stocks in many planted forests. This work aims to present the main findings on Eucalyptus rhizosphere processes and highlights their importance for trees nutrition, especially for N mineralization triggered by microbial activation or microbial community structure changes regarding the so-called rhizosphere priming effect and N fixation. Furthermore, we present an explanatory conceptual model of the steady-state condition for soil organic matter (SOM) stocks and its relation with fertilization based on a nutrient balance model. This review also considers the main experimental and modeling studies that demonstrate the quantitative importance of rhizosphere processes to Eucalyptus genus and their shortcomings. This provides a framework for process modeling under scenarios of global climate change. A better understanding of rhizosphere microbiological processes may allow improvements in Eucalyptus nutrition and production, as well as in accurate long-term estimates of SOM stocks and C-CO2 exchanges between forest soils and the atmosphere.

Convergent losses of decay mechanisms and rapid turnover of symbiosis genes in mycorrhizal mutualists.

To elucidate the genetic bases of mycorrhizal lifestyle evolution, we sequenced new fungal genomes, including 13 ectomycorrhizal (ECM), orchid (ORM) and ericoid (ERM) species, and five saprotrophs, which we analyzed along with other fungal genomes. Ectomycorrhizal fungi have a reduced complement of genes encoding plant cell wall-degrading enzymes (PCWDEs), as compared to their ancestral wood decayers. Nevertheless, they have retained a unique array of PCWDEs, thus suggesting that they possess diverse abilities to decompose lignocellulose. Similar functional categories of nonorthologous genes are induced in symbiosis. Of induced genes, 7-38% are orphan genes, including genes that encode secreted effector-like proteins. Convergent evolution of the mycorrhizal habit in fungi occurred via the repeated evolution of a 'symbiosis toolkit', with reduced numbers of PCWDEs and lineage-specific suites of mycorrhiza-induced genes.