Azospirillum spp. participation in dry matter partitioning in grasses at the whole plant level

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, particularly those from the genus Azospirillum spp., may affect root functions such as growth and nutrient/water uptake, which in turn may affect shoot growth. Calculations based on data from literature on shoot and root mass of crop grasses (79 plant/bacteria associations were analyzed) revealed that inoculation with Azospirillum spp. increased the shoot-to-root (S/R) ratio in about half of reported cases and decreased the S/R ratio in the other half. In 11 of 35 cases, the S/R ratio increased when the shoot mass increased more than the root mass. In 23 of 35 cases, the root mass did not increase, yet the S/R ratio still increased. Thus, the increase in the S/R ratio indicated that shoot growth responds to inoculation more than root growth. A decrease in the S/R ratio occurred when (a) root growth dominated shoot growth even though both increased (16 of 36 cases), or (b) root growth either increased or remained unchanged, and shoot growth was either unaffected or even decreased (19 of 36 cases). This analysis suggests that: (a) Azospirillum spp. participates in the partitioning of dry matter (both carbon compounds and minerals) at the whole plant level by affecting root functions, and (b) the bacteria affect crop grass through multiple mechanisms operating during plant development.