Fluorescent pseudomonad populations in modified rhizosphere atmospheres

• Published in: Soil biology & biochemistry Vol. 28; no. 4; pp. 497 - 501
• Main Authors: Kim, D.H., Misaghi, I.J., Pierson, E.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.04.1996; New York, NY Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biochemistry and biology; Biological and medical sciences; Chemical, physicochemical, biochemical and biological properties; Cucumis sativus; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Lycopersicon esculentum; Microbiology; Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils; Pseudomonas; Soil science; Pseudomonadales; Oxygen; Biological control; Cucurbitaceae; Carbon dioxide; Environmental factor; Pseudomonas fluorescens; Cucumis sativus; Survival; Rhizosphere; Soils; Vegetable crop; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Lycopersicon esculentum; Bacteria; Pseudomonadaceae; Spermatophyta; Population dynamics; Solanaceae; Pseudomonas putida
• ISSN: 0038-0717; 1879-3428
• DOI: 10.1016/0038-0717(95)00191-3

Populations of four isolates of fluorescent pseudomonads in the rhizosphere of tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Earlypak) and cucumber ( Cucumis sativus cv. Straight 8) seedlings were measured 48 h after exposure of roots to four soil atmospheres containing O 2-to-CO 2 concentrations of 210-to-0.3 (210 ml 1 −1 O 2, 0.3 ml 1 −1 CO 2, ambient concentrations), 180-to-30, 150-to-60 or 120-to-90. While populations varied depending on the bacterial isolate, the plant genus and the composition of the soil atmosphere, they were generally greater under modified soil atmospheres (atmospheres containing lower-than-ambient concentrations of O 2 and higher-than-ambient concentrations of CO 2) than under a soil atmosphere containing the ambient concentration of O 2 and CO 2. The populations of three of four test isolates in tomato rhizosphere and of two of three isolates in cucumber rhizosphere were between 0.44 and 1.38-fold higher under test modified soil atmospheres than under the ambient atmosphere. The differences were significant ( P < 0.05). Populations of indigenous fluorescent pseudomonads were also significantly ( P < 0.05) greater under modified soil atmospheres than under the ambient atmosphere. These results suggest that the reported inconsistency in biocontrol activity of several fluorescent pseudomonad isolates may in part be due to the effect of soil atmospheric composition on the ability of these bacteria to establish in the rhizosphere.