Colonization behaviour of two enterobacterial strains on cereals

 Two diazotrophic enterobacterial strains, Pantoea agglomerans D5/23 and Klebsiella pneumoniae CC12/12, were observed in sterile and non-sterile hydroponic and soil experiments in order to determine, by means of an immunological detection method (double antibody sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay), their colonization sites, their migration within individuals of different plant species, and their ability to compete with indigenous organisms. To investigate the interaction between bacteria and plants, root and shoot samples were analysed using electron microscopy. Field experiments were performed to determine the growth-promoting abilities of the bacterial strains. In field experiments, inoculation with P. agglomerans led to an increase in the grain yield of different wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars. The same strain was also able to colonize the rhizosphere and the phyllosphere of different cereals due to its ability to migrate within the plant. Roots and media were colonized 10–100 times more intensively than shoots, with about 10⁶ cells g^–1 root and 10⁴ cells g^–1 shoot. We found that P. agglomerans colonized the root and plant-growth medium of wheat to a greater extent than those of rye (Secale cereale) and barley (Hordeum vulgare), whereas the colonization of shoots was higher in rye and barley compared to wheat. Furthermore, while cell numbers of K. pneumoniae in media and roots were 10 times higher than cell numbers of P. agglomerans, only the latter markedly increased root growth. We were able to detect significant differences in colonization numbers between treatments even if the data were not normally or log-normally distributed or the variances were not homogenous. Received: 14 June 1999