Colonization strategy of the endophytic plant growth-promoting strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Klebsiella oxytoca on the seeds, seedlings and roots of the epiphytic orchid, Dendrobium nobile Lindl.

AIMS: Orchids form strong mycorrhizal associations, but their interactions with bacteria are poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the distribution of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) at different stages of orchid development and to study if there is any selective specificity in choosing PGPR partners. METHODS AND RESULTS: Colonization patterns of gfp-tagged Pseudomonas fluorescens and Klebsiella oxytoca were studied on roots, seeds, and seedlings of Dendrobium nobile. Endophytic rhizobacteria rapidly colonized velamen and core parenchyma entering through exodermis and the passage cells, whereas at the early stages, they stayed restricted to the surface and the outer layers of the protocorms and rhizoids. The highest amounts of auxin (indole-3-acetic acid) were produced by K. oxytoca and P. fluorescens in the nitrogen-limiting and NO3 -containing media respectively. Bacterization of D. nobile seeds resulted in promotion of their in vitro germination. The plant showed no selective specificity to the tested strains. Klebsiella oxytoca demonstrated more intense colonization activity and more efficient growth promoting impact under tryptophan supplementation, while P. fluorescens revealed its growth-promoting capacity without tryptophan. CONCLUSIONS: Both strategies are regarded as complementary, improving adaptive potentials of the orchid when different microbial populations colonize the plant. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study enlarges our knowledge on orchid-microbial interactions, and provides new features on application of the nonorchid PGPR in orchid seed germination and conservation.

[Biodegradation of Cellulose-Containing Substrates by Micromycetes Followed by Bioconversion into Biogas].

The ability of micromycetes Trichoderma viride and Aspergillus terreus to decompose the cellulose-containing substrates was studied. Office paper and cardboard, as well as a paper mixture, were found to be the most hydrolyzable. The cellulolytic activity of T. viride was 2-3 times higher than that of A. terreus; the highest values of 0.80 and 0.73 U/mLwere obtained from office paper and the paper mixture, respectively. The micromycete cultivation conditions (composition of culture medium, sucrose cosubstrate addition, seeding method) and the conditions of the fungus biomass treatment for its subsequent bioconversion into biogas by anaerobic microbial communities were optimized. It was shown that pretreatment improves the efficiency of biogas production from lignocellulosic materials under seeding with microbial community of bovine animal manure. After pretreatment of the Jerusalem artichoke phytomass (stems and leaves) and its subsequent bioconversion into biogas by methanogenic community, the biogas yield was increased by 1.5 times.

[Auxin production by Klebsiella planticola strain TSKhA-91 and Its Effect of development of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Seeds].

Capacity of Klebsiella planticola strain TSJhA-91 for synthesis of indolyl-3-acetic acid (IAA) and other auxins was studied. The qualitative and quantitative composition of these compounds depends on the presence of exogeneous tryptophan and on the nitrogen source. The highest IAA yield was obtained at the stationary phase of growth. Addition of L-tryptophan to the medium resulted in a significant increase (up to 85.5 microg/mL) of auxin biosynthesis, especially in the presence of nitrates. Thin-layer chromatography revealed that the indole-3-acetamide pathway was not active in this strain. The biological activity of auxins was confirmed by plant assay with the kidney bean cuttings; the height of root formation and rdot number increased 16- and 6-fold, respectively. Under conditions of low-temperature stress, protective effect of K. planticola TSKhA-91 on development of cucumbers (Cucumissativus L.) seeds, including stimulation of germi- nation and root formation by its seeds were shown.

[Biogas production from cellulose-containing substrates: a review].

Anaerobic microbial conversion of organic substrates to various biofuels is one of the alternative energy sources attracting the greatest attention of scientists. The advantages of biogas production over other technologies are the ability of methanogenic communities to degrade a broad range of substrates and concomitant benefits: neutralization of organic waste, reduction of greenhouse gas emission, and fertilizer production. Cellulose-containing materials are a good substrate, but their full-scale utilization encounters a number of problems, including improvement of the quality and amount ofbiogas produced and maintenance of the stability and high efficiency of microbial communities. We review data on microorganisms that form methanogenic cellulolytic communities, enzyme complexes of anaerobes essential for cellulose fiber degradation, and feedstock pretreatment, as biodegradation is hindered in the presence of lignin. Methods for improving biogas production by optimization of microbial growth conditions are considered on the examples of biogas formation from various types of plant and paper materials: writing paper and cardboard.

[Biogas production by microbial communities via decomposition of cellulose and food waste].

Several active microbial communities that form biogas via decomposition of cellulose and domestic food waste were identified among 24 samples isolated from different natural and anthropogenic sources. The methane yield was 90-260 ml CH4/g from microbial communities grown on cellulose substrates, office paper, and cardboard at 37 degrees C without preprocessing. Under mesophilic conditions, bioconversion of paper waste yields biogas with a methane content from 47 to 63%; however, the rate of biogas production was 1.5-2.0 times lower than under thermophilic conditions. When microbial communities were grown on DFW under thermophilic conditions, the most stable and effective of them produced 230-353 ml CH4/g, and the methane content in biogas was 54-58%. These results demonstrated the significance of our studies for the development of a technology for the biotransformation of paper waste into biogas and for the need of selection of microbial communities to improve the efficiency of the process.

[Hormones and hormone-like substances of microorganisms: a review].

Data from the literature on the ability of microorganisms to form plant hormones have been reviewed. The substances covered include abscisic acid, ethylene and other compounds with phytohormone-like properties (brassinosteroids, oligosaccharines) and analogues of animal neurotransmitters (biogenic amines). Pathways whereby the substances are metabolized and their effects on the development and activity (physiological and biochemical) of the microorganisms are considered. The role of phytohormones and hormone-like substances in the formation of association (microorganism-host) interactions are analyzed. The potential utilities of microorganisms producing hormones and hormone-like substances are discussed.

[Microbial producers of plant growth stimulators and their practical use: A review].

The ability of pro- and eukaryotic microorganisms to synthesize growth-stimulating phytohormones is reviewed, with emphasis on pathways of biosynthesis of these compounds and their effects on physiological and biochemical properties of the producers. Phytohormones are viewed as specific mediators in interactions between various organisms inhabiting the same ecological niche, the biological role of which is not limited to processes taking place in plants. In addition to setting forth theoretical aspects of this problem, the review underscores the need to utilize such producer microorganisms in plant cultivation and biotechnology.

[Auxin production by bacteria associated with orchid roots].

Bacteria associated with the roots of greenhouse tropical orchids were shown to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and to excrete it into the culture liquid. The presence and activity of IAA were demonstrated colorimetrically, by thin-layer chromatography, and by biotests. The associated bacteria varied in their ability to excrete indole compounds (1-28 microg/ml nutrient broth). Addition of tryptophan to the growth medium enhanced phytohormone production. Upon addition of 200 microg/ml tryptophan, the bacteria isolated from Dendrobium moschatum roots (Sphingomonas sp. 18, Microbacterium sp. 23, Mycobacterium sp. 1, Bacillus sp. 3, and Rhizobium sp. 5) produced 50.2, 53.1, 92.9, 37.6, and 60.4 microg IAA/ml respectively, while the bacteria isolated from Acampe papillosa roots (Sphingomonas sp. 42, Rhodococcus sp. 37, Cellulomonas sp. 23, Pseudomonas sp. 24, and Micrococcus luteus) produced 69.4, 49.6, 53.9, 31.0, and 39.2 microg IAA/ml. Auxin production depended on cultivation conditions and on the growth phase of the bacterial cultures. Treatment of kidney bean cuttings with bacterial culture liquid promoted formation of a "root brush" with location height 7.4- to 13.4-fold greater than the one in the control samples. The ability of IAA-producing associated bacteria to act as stimulants of the host plant root development is discussed.

[Bacteria associated with the roots of epiphytic orchids]. / Bakterii, assotsiirovannye s korniami épifitnykh orkhidei.

This work is the first to report the isolation and identification of bacteria colonizing the roots of tropical epiphytic orchids Acampe papillosa (Lindl.) Lindl. and Dendrobium moschatum (Buch.-Ham.) Swartz. and bacteria inhabiting inner layers of the aerial and substrate roots of A. papillosa. We showed by the example of this epiphyte that associative bacteria are present in large amounts on the aerial but not substrate roots. We isolated and identified bacteria from the substrate roots of D. moschatum and from its growth substrate (pine bark). The structure of the intercellular matrix of the associative bacteria was studied.

[Localization of associative cyanobacteria on the roots of epiphytic orchids]. / Osobennosti lokalizatsii assotsiativnykh tsianobakterii na korniakh épifitnykh orkhidei.

This work is the first study of the localization of phototrophic microorganisms in the rhizoplane and velamen of epiphytic orchids, namely on the aerial and substrate roots of Acampe papillosa and Dendrobium moschatum and on the aerial roots of the Phalaenopsis amabilis and Dendrobium phalaenopsis. The composition of the bacterial community on the plant roots depended on the conditions of plant growth. Under conditions simulating climate of moist tropical forests, the aerial roots proved to be populated with phototrophic microorganisms among which cyanobacteria predominated. Interlaced fungal hyphae and filamentous cyanobacteria formed a sheath on the surface of aerial roots. The nitrogen-fixing capacity of the sheath of aerial roots was studied by the example of P. amabilis.

[Associative cyanobacteria isolated from the roots of epiphytic orchids]. / Assotsiativnye cyanobakterii, vydelennye s kornei épifitnykh orkhidei.

Associative cyanobacteria were isolated from the rhizoplane and velamen of the aerial roots of the epiphytic orchids Acampe papillosa, Phalaenopsis amabilis, and Dendrobium moschatum and from the substrate roots of Acampe papillosa and Dendrobium moschatum. Cyanobacteria were isolated on complete and nitrogen-free variants of BG-11 medium. On all media and in all samples, cyanobacteria of the genus Nostoc predominated. Nostoc, Anabaena, and Calothrix were isolated from the surface of the A. papillosa aerial roots, whereas the isolates from the substrate roots were Nostoc, Oscillatoria, and representatives of the LPP-group (Lyngbia, Phormidium, and Plectonema, incapable of nitrogen fixation). On the D. moschatum substrate roots, Nostoc and LPP-group representatives were also found, as well as Fischerella. On the aerial roots of P. amabilis and D. phalaenopsis grown in a greenhouse simulating the climate of moist tropical forest, cyanobacteria were represented by Nostoc, LPP-group, and Scytonema in the D. phalaenopsis and by Nostoc, Scytonema, Calothrix, Spirulina, Oscillatoria, and the LPP-group in P. amabilis. For D. moschatum, the spectra of cyanobacteria populating the substrate root zhizophane and the substrate (pine bark) were compared. In the parenchyma of the aerial roots of P. amabilis, fungal hyphae and/or their half-degraded remains were detected, which testifies to the presence of mycorrhizal fungi this plant. This phenomenon is attributed to the presence of a sheath formed by cyanobacteria and serving as a substrate for fungi.

[Microbiota of the Orchid rhizoplane]. / Mikrobiota poverkhnosti kornei Orkhidnykh.

Six bacterial strains isolated from the underground roots of the terrestrial orchid Calanthe vestita var. rubrooculata were found to belong to the genera Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Mycobacterium, and Pseudomonas. Strains isolated from the aerial roots of the epiphytic orchid Dendrobium moschatum were classified into the genera Bacillus, Curtobacterium, Flavobacterium, Nocardia, Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus, and Xanthomonas. The rhizoplane of the terrestrial orchid was also populated by cyanobacteria of the genera Nostoc and Oscillatoria, whereas that of the epiphytic orchid was populated by one genus, Nostoc. In orchids occupying different econiches the spectra of the bacterial genera revealed differed. The microbial complex of the terrestrial orchid rhizoplane differed from that of the surrounding soil.

[Colonial organization and intercellular communication of microorganisms]. / Kolonial'naia organizatsiia i mezhkletochnaia kommunicatsiia u mikroorganizmov.

This review covers the modern concepts and recent data demonstrating the integrity and coherence of microbial populations (colonies, biofilms, etc.) as peculiar "super-organisms." Special attention is given to such relevant phenomena as apoptosis, bacterial altruism, quorum effects, collective differentiation of microbial cells, and the formation of population-level structures such as an extracellular matrix. Emphasis is placed on the channels in colonies and agents of intercellular communication in microbial populations. The involvement of a large number of evolutionarily conserved communicational facilities and patterns of intercellular interactions is underscored. Much attention is also given to the role of colonial organization and intercellular communication in parasite/commensal/symbiont-multicellular host organism systems.