Joint Immobilization of Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria and Green Microalgae in Alginate Beads as an Experimental Model for Studying Plant-Bacterium Interactions

• Published in: Applied and Environmental Microbiology Vol. 74; no. 21; pp. 6797 - 6802
• Main Authors: de-Bashan, Luz E, Bashan, Yoav
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for Microbiology 01.11.2008; American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
• Subjects: Algae; Alginates; Azospirillum; Azospirillum - physiology; Bacteria; bacterial contamination; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Cells, Immobilized; Chlorella; Chlorella - physiology; Contaminants; Environmental Microbiology; freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Glucuronic Acid; Hexuronic Acids; Immobilization techniques; Methods. Procedures. Technologies; Microalgae; Microbiology; Models, Theoretical; Plant growth; plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria; Plants - microbiology; Studies; Immobilization; Bacteria; Models; Alginates; Growth; Interaction
• ISSN: 0099-2240; 1098-5336; 1098-5336; 1098-6596
• DOI: 10.1128/AEM.00518-08

A simple, quantitative experimental model, offering a convenient and basic approach to studies of plant-bacterium interactions, is proposed. This involves immobilizing a unicellular, freshwater microalga, a Chlorella species, serving as the plant, with a plant growth-promoting bacterium, an Azospirillum species, in small alginate beads to allow close interaction and to avoid external interference from bacterial contaminants.