Morphological and genetic characterization of endophytic bacteria isolated from roots of different maize genotypes

• Published in: Microbial ecology Vol. 65; no. 1; pp. 154 - 160
• Main Authors: Ikeda, Angela Cristina, Bassani, Luciana Lange, Adamoski, Douglas, Stringari, Danyelle, Cordeiro, Vanessa Kava, Glienke, Chirlei, Steffens, Maria Berenice Reynaud, Hungria, Mariangela, Galli-Terasawa, Lygia Vitoria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer Science + Business Media 01.01.2013; Springer-Verlag; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Antibiotics; Bacillus; Bacteria; Bacteria - classification; Bacteria - genetics; Bacteria - isolation & purification; Biochemical tests; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Burkholderia; Carbon sources; Corn; Culture media; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Ecology; Endophytes; Endophytes - classification; Endophytes - genetics; Endophytes - isolation & purification; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genotype; Genotypes; Geoecology/Natural Processes; Grain; Hybridity; Hybrids; Klebsiella; Life Sciences; Microbial Ecology; Microbiology; Nature Conservation; Nitrogen fixation; Pantoea; Phylogeny; Plant growth; PLANT MICROBE INTERACTIONS; Plant roots; Plant Roots - microbiology; Plants; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; Roots; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Soil Microbiology; Water Quality/Water Pollution; Zea mays; Zea mays - genetics; Zea mays - microbiology; Pantoea; Burkholderia; Maize Genotype; Plant Growth Promotion; Endophytic Bacterium; Monocotyledones; Zea mays; Root; Gramineae; Morphology; Angiospermae; Bacteria; Endophyte; Genotype; Spermatophyta; Ecology; Cereal crop
• ISSN: 0095-3628; 1432-184X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00248-012-0104-0

Maize is one of the most important crops worldwide, and in Brazil, the state of Paraná stands as its largest producer. The crop demands high inputs of N fertilizers, therefore all strategies aiming to optimize the grain production with lower inputs are very relevant. Endophytic bacteria have a high potential to increment maize grain yield by means of input via biological nitrogen fixation and/or plant growth promotion, in this last case increasing the absorption of water and nutrients by the plants. In this study, we established a collection of 217 endophytic bacteria, isolated from roots of four lineages and three hybrid genotypes of maize, and isolated in four different N-free culture media. Biochemical—comprising growth in different carbon sources, intrinsic tolerance to antibiotics, and biochemical tests for catalase, nitrate reductase, urease, and growth in N-free media in vitro—and genetic characterization by BOX-PCR revealed great variability among the isolates. Both commercial hybrids and homozygous lineages were broadly colonized by endophytes, and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed the presence of bacteria belonging to the genera Pantoea, Bacillus, Burkholderia, and Klebsiella. Qualitative differences in endophytic colonization were detected between lineages and hybrid genotypes.