Linking Plant Stress Amelioration to Root Bacteria; Role of Soil pH
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Date
2007-04-02T13:27:45Z
Authors
Raudales, Rosa E.
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Abstract
Soil pH can impact plant growth and development, but its impact on biocontrol microbes remains a mystery. Patches with different plant heights were observed in three different sites of an experimental corn field. Interestingly, in this plot plants inoculated with phlD+ pseudomonads seemed to ameliorate the stress caused by low pH in the soil. As a first step to further investigate the relationships between soil chemistry, plant stress, and root colonization by phlD+ bacteria, we sampled this field soil and determined likely causes of the observed stresses. To more fully understand the cause of height disparity of non-inoculated plants, soils were collected from subplots that had the tallest (A), intermediate height (B), and the shortest plants (C) and then were sown with corn in a greenhouse pot assay. Plants grown in soil A had higher fresh shoot weight and growth stage compared to plants grown in soils B and C (p≤0.018). All soils were confirmed to have pH in the range of strongly acid; nonetheless, significant differences were observed in nutrient uptake and nutrient availability. Soil C had the lowest pH magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) and the highest levels of manganese in the soil and the tissue (p≤0.011 for all). This study reveals the variable plant growth responses that lie under a narrow pH range within a limited space. This information will be used for further research on corn stress caused by low pH and its amelioration by native and inoculated populations of phlD+ pseudomonads.
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soil pH, DAPG producers pseudomonads, corn, plant stress