• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.805-814
• /
• 2008

Liming of acidic soils can prevent aluminum toxicity and improve crop production. Some maize lines show aluminum (Al) tolerance, and exudation of organic acids by roots has been considered to represent an important mechanism involved in the tolerance. However, there is no information about the impact of liming on the structures of bacterial and fungal communities in Cerrado soil, nor if there are differences between the microbial communities from the rhizospheres of Al-tolerant and Al-sensitive maize lines. This study evaluated the effects of liming on the structure of bacterial and fungal communities in bulk soil and rhizospheres of Al-sensitive and Al-tolerant maize (Zea mays L.) lines cultivated in Cerrado soil by PCR-DGGE, 30 and 90 days after sowing. Bacterial fingerprints revealed that the bacterial communities from rhizospheres were more affected by aluminum stress in soil than by the maize line (Al-sensitive or Al-tolerant). Differences in bacterial communities were also observed over time (30 and 90 days after sowing), and these occurred mainly in the Actinobacteria. Conversely, fungal communities from the rhizosphere were weakly affected either by liming or by the rhizosphere, as observed from the DGGE profiles. Furthermore, only a few differences were observed in the DGGE profiles of the fungal populations during plant development when compared with bacterial communities. Cloning and sequencing of 16S rRNA gene fragments obtained from dominant DGGE bands detected in the bacterial profiles of the Cerrado bulk soil revealed that Actinomycetales and Rhizobiales were among the dominant ribotypes.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.44 no.6
• /
• pp.591-599
• /
• 2006

To address the diversity of cyclodextrin-producing P. graminis strains isolated from wheat roots and rhizospheres of maize and sorghum sown in Australia, Brazil, and France, restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of part of genes encoding RNA polymerase (rpoB-RFLP) and DNA gyrase subunit B (gyrB-RFLP) was used to produce genetic fingerprints. A phylogenetic tree based on rpoB gene sequences was also constructed. The isolates originated from Brazil could be separated from those from Australia and France, when data from the rpoB-based phylogenetic tree or gyrB-RFLP were considered. These analyses also allowed the separation of all P. graminis strains studied here into four clusters; one group formed by the strains GJK201 and $RSA19^T$, second group formed by the strains MC22.02 and MC04.21, third group formed by the strains TOD61, TOD 221, TOD302, and TOD111, and forth group formed by all strains isolated from plants sown in Cerrado soil, Brazil. As this last group was formed by strains isolated from sorghum and maize sown in the same soil (Cerrado) in Brazil, our results suggest that the diversity of these P. graminis strains is more affected by the soil type than the plant from where they have been isolated.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.49 no.2
• /
• pp.225-238
• /
• 2021

CH₄-oxidizing and N₂O-reducing bacterial consortia were enriched from the rhizosphere soils of maize (Zea mays) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea). Illumina MiSeq sequencing analysis was performed to comparatively analyze the bacterial communities of the consortia with those of the rhizosphere soils. Additionally, the effect of root exudate on CH₄ oxidation and N₂O reduction activities of the microbes was evaluated. Although the inoculum sources varied, the CH₄-oxidizing and N₂O-reducing consortia derived from maize and tall fescue were similar. The predominant methanotrophs in the CH₄-oxidizing consortia were Methylosarcina, Methylococcus, and Methylocystis. Among the N₂O-reducing consortia, the representative N₂O-reducing bacteria were Cloacibacterium, Azonexus, and Klebsiella. The N₂O reduction rate of the N₂O-reducing consortium from maize rhizosphere and tall fescue rhizosphere increased by 1.6 and 2.7 times with the addition of maize and tall fescue root exudates, respectively. The CH₄ oxidization activity of the CH₄-oxidizing consortia did not increase with the addition of root exudates. The CH₄-oxidizing and N₂O-reducing consortia can be used as promising bioresources to mitigate non-CO₂ greenhouse gas emissions during remediation of oil-contaminated soils.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.49 no.3
• /
• pp.413-424
• /
• 2021

In order to enhance rhizoremediation performance, which remediates contaminated soils using the interactions between plants and microorganisms in rhizosphere, it is required to develop effective microbial resources that simultaneously degrade contaminants and promote plant growth. In this study, heavy metal-resistant rhizobacteria, which had been cultivated in soils contaminated with heavy metals (copper, cadmium, and lead) and diesel were isolated from rhizospheres of maize and tall fescue. After that, the isolates were qualitatively evaluated for plant growth promoting (PGP) activities, heavy metal tolerance, and diesel degradability. As a result, six strains with heavy metal tolerance, PGP activities, and diesel degradability were isolated. Strains CuM5 and CdM2 were isolated from the rhizosphere soils of maize, and were identified as belonging to the genus Cupriavidus. From the rhizosphere soils of tall fescue, strains CuT6, CdT2, CdT5, and PbT3 were isolated and were identified as Fulvimonas soli, Cupriavidus sp., Novosphingobium sp., and Bacillus sp., respectively. Cupriavidus sp. CuM5 and CdM2 showed a low heavy metal tolerance and diesel degradability, but exhibited an excellent PGP ability. Among the six isolates, Cupriavidus sp. CdT2 and Bacillus sp. PbT3 showed the best diesel degradability. Additionally, Bacillus sp. PbT3 also exhibited excellent heavy metal tolerance and PGP abilities. These results indicate that the isolates can be used as promising microbial resources to promote plant growth and restore soils with contaminated heavy metals and diesel.