Growth stimulation and nitrogen supply to wheat plants inoculated with Azospirillum brasilense

Twelve Azospirillum brasilense strains isolated from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) roots were compared for root colonization, growth stimulation, and nitrogen (N) supply to young wheat plants cv. Klein Chamaco grown in sterile nutrient solutions without N. All the strains inoculated colonized both the root surface and interior, and most strains stimulated root and shoot growth, although the degree of stimulation was different for the different strains. Some strains increased the total N content of roots and tops at the end of the experiment, in one case up to 80% of the uninoculated plants, while others produced no effect on N content. No correlation could be found between growth stimulation or the amount of N supplied to the plant with the degree of root colonization. When the most efficient strain for N fixation was inoculated to different wheat cultivars, it stimulated growth and supplied N to the five cultivars tested, although the degree of root colonization, growth stimulation and N supply showed differences among the cultivars. Our results suggest that there exists the potential of A. brasilense to supply N to wheat plants in considerable amounts, although an adequate strain are still to be identified.