Effect of certain herbicides on growth and pathogenicity of take-all fungus on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Summary The effects of Spray Seed (diquat + paraquat), Roundup (glyphosate), Banvel-D (dicamba), Treflan (trifluralin), Glean (chlorsulfuron) and Dacthal (chlorthal dimethyl) at concentrations of 0–500 ppm product on the vegetative growth, vigour and pathogenicity of Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici (Ggt) on wheat were examined. All herbicides with the exception of dicamba and chlorsulfuron inhibited fungal growth on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at concentrations 10–500-fold of rates recommended for use in the field. The vegetative growth of the pathogen growing out of straw colonized on PDA supplemented with 100 ppm diquat + paraquat or glyphosate was reduced by 47.4% and 42.4%, respectively. When portions of these colonies were subcultured onto unamended PDA, their growth and the pathogenicity of straw pieces colonized by these subcultures were found to be unaltered. Straw colonized by Ggt on agar amended with concentrations of diquat + paraquat or at all concentrations of glyphosate produced less root disease in wheat seedlings in comparison to those colonized on unamended agar. It is proposed that the reduced pathogenicity of inocula prepared on agar amended with these two herbicides is due to poor colonization by the pathogen of straw on these media, and that a similar effect on saprophytic colonization in the field could lead to a reduction in the field inocula of the pathogen.     

Manganese-oxidizing ability of isolates of the take-all fungus is correlated with virulence

Two successive experiments described here show that the Mn-oxidizing ability of isolates of the take-all fungus Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici is positively correlated with the isolate virulence. Isolates of G. graminis var. tritici were screened for virulence on wheat in soil culture pot tests and visually scored for Mn-oxidizing capacity on agar plates. A comparison between experiments showed that the Mn-oxidizing ability of an isolate may be attenuated, as is virulence, with subculturing. Using a solution culture system, we calculated the rate of oxidation of Mn²⁺ by a virulent isolate, Ggt 500, as 4 nmol g^-1 (dry weight hyphae) h^-1. The significance of these results to the epidemiology of the take-all disease of wheat is discussed.     

Influence of varied soil microbial and inorganic nutrient conditions on the growth and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of little bluestem [Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash]

Summary A difference in biomass production between plants grown in autoclaved soil and non-autoclaved soil under N and base (Ca + Mg) treatments was probably caused by soil microbes other than vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. The plants were grown for 70 days in autoclaved soil, autoclaved soil with a vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal-free filtrate of non-autoclaved soil added, and non-autoclaved soil. The plants in each substrate received additional N, P, or Ca + Mg (base treatment) weekly. Control plants received no additional nutrients. The plant response to various substrates was a function of nutrient treatment. Colonization of roots by vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in non-autoclaved soil was lowest with the N and P treatments. There were significant negative correlations between vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization and all plant growth variates. For all nutrient treatments, there were no differences in total biomass between plants grown in non-autoclaved soil and in the autoclaved-plus-filtrate substrate.     

Colonisation of seminal roots of wheat and barley by egg-parasitic nematophagous fungi and their effects on Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici and development of root-rot

This study provides evidence that egg-parasitic nematophagous fungi, Pochonia chlamydosporia, Pochonia rubescens and Lecanicillium lecanii, can also reduce root colonisation and root damage by a fungal pathogen. Interactions of nematophagous fungi with the take-all fungus, Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici (Ggt), and their influence on severity of the root disease it causes were studied in laboratory and pot experiments. In Petri dish experiments the three nematophagous fungi reduced colonisation of barley roots by Ggt and also reduced necrotic symptoms. On the contrary, root colonisation by nematophagous fungi was unaffected by Ggt. In growth tube experiments, the three nematophagous fungi again reduced Ggt root colonisation and increased effective root length of barley seedlings. This was true for both simultaneous and sequential inoculation of nematophagous fungi versus Ggt. In the pot experiments the inoculum of the tested fungi in soil was applied in the same pot, as a mixture or in layers, or in coupled pots used for wheat grown with a split-root system. The nematophagous fungi P. chlamydosporia (isolate 4624) and L. lecanii (isolate 4629), mixed with Ggt or in split root systems with the pathogen, promoted growth of wheat (i.e. increased shoot weight), although no disease reduction was found. In split root systems, lower levels of peroxidase activity were found in seedlings inoculated with Ggt in combination with the nematophagous isolates 4624 and 4629 than when the take-all fungus was applied alone.Our results show that nematophagous fungi reduce root colonisation by Ggt, root damage and stress induced senescence in Ggt-inoculated plants.     

Effect of plant growth-promoting bacteria and soil compaction on barley seedling growth, nutrient uptake, soil properties and rhizosphere microflora

Inoculants are of great importance in sustainable and/or organic agriculture. In the present study, plant growth of barley (Hordeum vulgare) has been studied in sterile soil inoculated with four plant growth-promoting bacteria and mineral fertilizers at three different soil bulk densities and in three harvests of plants. Three bacterial species were isolated from the rhizosphere of barley and wheat. These bacteria fixed N₂, dissolved P and significantly increased growth of barley seedlings. Available phosphate in soil was significantly increased by seed inoculation of Bacillus M-13 and Bacillus RC01. Total culturable bacteria, fungi and P-solubilizing bacteria count increased with time. Data suggest that seed inoculation of barley with Bacillus RC01, Bacillus RC02, Bacillus RC03 and Bacillus M-13 increased root weight by 16.7, 12.5, 8.9 and 12.5% as compared to the control (without bacteria inoculation and mineral fertilizers) and shoot weight by 34.7, 34.7, 28.6 and 32.7%, respectively. Bacterial inoculation gave increases of 20.3–25.7% over the control as compared with 18.9 and 35.1% total biomass weight increases by P and NP application. The concentration of N and P in soil was decreased by increasing soil compaction. In contrast to macronutrients, the concentration of Fe, Cu and Mn was lower in plants grown in the loosest soil. Soil compaction induced a limitation in root and shoot growth that was reflected by a decrease in the microbial population and activity. Our results show that bacterial population was stimulated by the decrease in soil bulk density. The results suggest that the N₂-fixing and P-solubilizing bacterial strains tested have a potential on plant growth activity of barley.     

Phosphate-solubilization activity of bacterial strains in soil and their effect on soybean growth under greenhouse conditions

The efficiency of 13 phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB; four Burkholderia sp., five Enterobacter sp., and four Bradyrhizobium sp.) was assessed in a soil plate assay by evaluating soil phosphorus (P) availability. A commercial argentine strain, Pseudomonas fluorescens, was used for comparing solubilizing activity. Burkholderia sp. PER2F, Enterobacter sp. PER3G, and Bradyrhizobium sp. PER2H strains solubilized the largest quantities of P in the soil plate assay after 60 days as compared with the other strains, including the commercial one. The effect of PSB inoculation on growth and nutrient uptake of soybean plants was also studied under greenhouse conditions. Plants inoculated with Burkholderia sp. PER2F had the highest aerial height and showed an appropriate N/P ratio. However, none of the PSB increased P uptake by plants. This suggests that PSB inoculation does not necessarily improve P nutrition in soybean, nor was there any relationship between P availability in the soil plate assay and P content in the soybean shoot in the greenhouse. We concluded that the selection of efficient PSB strains as possible inoculation tools for P-deficient soils should focus on the integral interpretation of soil assays, greenhouse experiments, and field trials.     

土壤因子对链霉菌S506定殖和促生功能的影响

链霉菌S506是从植物根际分离获得的具有促生、防病和降解根系毒素功能的根际微生物,为了解土壤环境条件对其在根际定殖和功能表达的影响,以链霉菌S506为试材,研究了土壤质地、环境温度和土壤湿度对S506在番茄根际土壤定殖及番茄植株生长的影响.结果表明,适宜链霉菌S506在番茄根际定殖和促生作用发挥的土壤质地为壤土,其次为砂土和黏土;试验所设温度梯度中,利于S506在根际定殖的环境温度为30℃,其次为22.5℃和15℃,而利于目的菌株促生功能表达的环境温度则依次为22.5℃、30℃和15℃;适宜于目的菌株在根际定殖和促生功能发挥的土壤相对湿度为20%、25%,其次为15%和30%.     

紫茎泽兰和黄顶菊入侵对土壤微生物群落结构和旱稻生长的影响

为比较入侵植物与本地植物对土壤微生态影响的差异, 探索外来植物入侵的土壤微生物学机制, 本研究通过同质园试验, 比较分析了2种入侵菊科植物(紫茎泽兰、黄顶菊)和2种本地植物(马唐、猪毛菜)对土壤肥力和微生物群落的影响, 并通过盆栽反馈试验验证入侵植物改变后的土壤微生物对本地植物旱稻生长的反馈作用。同质园试验结果表明: 2种入侵植物和2种本地植物分别对土壤微生态产生了不同的影响, 尤其是紫茎泽兰显著提高了土壤有效氮、有效磷和有效钾含量,紫茎泽兰根际土壤中有效氮含量为39.80 mg·kg^-1,有效磷含量为48.52 mg·kg^-1。磷脂脂肪酸指纹图谱结果表明, 2种入侵植物与2种本地植物相比, 较显著增加了土壤中放线菌数量, 而紫茎泽兰比其他3种植物显著增加了细菌和真菌数量。盆栽结果表明: 黄顶菊生长过的土壤灭菌后比灭菌前旱稻株高增加113%, 紫茎泽兰也使旱稻的株高增加17%。由以上结果可知, 紫茎泽兰和黄顶菊可能通过改变入侵地土壤的微环境, 形成利于其自身生长扩散的微生态环境从而实现其成功入侵。