ABSTRACT
Native rhizobia are ideal for use as commercial legume inoculants. The characteristics of the carrier used to store the inoculants are important for the survival and symbiotic potential of the rhizobia. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of peat (PEAT), perlite sugarcane bagasse (PSB), carboxymethyl cellulose plus starch (CMCS), and yeast extract mannitol supplemented with mannitol (YEMM) on the survival, nodulation potential and N2 fixation capacity of the native strains
Subject(s)
Fertilizers/microbiology , Phaseolus/growth & development , Phaseolus/microbiology , Rhizobium/metabolism , Sinorhizobium/metabolism , Symbiosis/physiology , Aluminum Oxide/chemistry , Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium/chemistry , Cellulose/chemistry , Mannitol/chemistry , Nitrogen Fixation/physiology , Plant Root Nodulation/physiology , Rhizosphere , Soil Microbiology , Silicon Dioxide/chemistry , Soil/chemistry , Starch/analogs & derivatives , Starch/chemistry , Yeasts/chemistryABSTRACT
Background: The application of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) will affect the bacterial community structure as some groups will be favoured and others not. An alkaline saline soil with electrolytic conductivity (EC) 56 dS m-1 was spiked with anthracene and acetone while their effect on bacterial community structure was investigated. Results: The percentages of Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria decreased over time, while the percentage of Proteobacteria, mostly Xanthomonadales, increased. The percentage of the phylotypes belonging to the Nocardioides, Rhodococcus and Streptomyces, known degraders of PAHs, was larger in the anthracene-amended soil than in the acetone-amended and unamended soil at day 14. The phylotypes belonging to the genera Sphingomonas, also a known degrader of PAHs, however, was lower. Weighted and unweighted PCoA with UniFrac indicated that phylotypes were similar in the different treatments at day 0, but changed at day 1. After 14 days, phylotypes in the unamended and acetone-amended soil were similar, but different from those in the anthracene-spiked soil. Conclusions: It was found that incubating the soil and contaminating it with anthracene changed the bacterial community structure, but spiking the soil with acetone had little or no effect on the bacterial community structure compared to the unamended soil.
Subject(s)
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons , Soil Microbiology , Bacteria/growth & development , Phylogeny , Bacteria/genetics , DNA, Bacterial/isolation & purification , DNA, Ribosomal/genetics , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Cloning, Molecular , Microbiota , AnthracenesABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of vermicompost, worm-bed leachate (WBL) and Glomus mosseae, an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), on growth of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf). A response surface methodology, i.e. a three-level Box Benhen design with three repetitions and three blocks, was applied to optimize biomass production, essential oil yield and its composition. Application rates of Glomus mosseae were 0, 1 or 2 g plant-1, vermicompost 0, 5 or 10 g plant-1 and WBL 0, 10 and 20 percent. The AMF had no significant effect on the variables tested, but vermicompost had a significant effect on essential oil yield and WBL on essential oil yield, myercene concentration and shoot dry weigh (p < 0.05). It was found that lemongrass fertilized with 2.0 g G. mosseae, 5.0 g vermicompost and 20 percent worm-bed leachate would yield 0.797 percent essential oil of which 62.6 percent was citral.
Subject(s)
Oils, Volatile/chemistry , Composting , Cymbopogon/chemistry , Fungi/physiology , Mycorrhizae/physiology , Soil , Culture Media , Process OptimizationABSTRACT
A response surface technique was used to analyze the effect of Glomus fasciculatum, Pseudomonas fluorescens and worm-bed leachate (WBL) on growth, yield and characteristics of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill). The treatments combined inoculation with or without P. fluorescensor G. fasciculatum and the application of WBL at 20% (v/v) each day or every three days. Plant height, number of leaves and yield of tomato fruits was not affected by the factors studied. However, plants with foliar application of WBL each day developed wider stems than those with an application every three days. The pH of the fruits was lower when WBL was applied every three days compared to a daily application. The soluble solids content of the fruits was higher when WBL was applied daily compared to those sprayed every three days. Plant development was not affected by addition of P. fluorescens, G. fasciculatum or WBL, but WBL changed fruit characteristics.