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Endophytic and rhizospheric enterobacteria isolated from sugar cane have different potentials for producing plant growth-promoting substances

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Abstract

Background and aims

Endophytic and rhizospheric environments differ in many respects, leading to the presence of different bacterial communities at each site. However, microorganisms such as enterobacteria can be found both within plants and in the surrounding soil. Bacteria must present differences in the traits that affect such environments in order to successfully colonise them. The present study compared the plant growth-promoting potential of diazotrophic enterobacteria isolated from the rhizosphere and from within surface-disinfected plants.

Methods

A total of 46 diazotrophic enterobacterial strains (21 rhizospheric and 25 putatively endophytic) belonging to the Klebsiella and Enterobacter genera, which are prevalent in sugar cane plantations, were isolated from the rhizosphere and from surface-disinfected plants. Their ability to synthesise amino acids using combined nitrogen obtained from nitrogen fixation, and their ability to synthesise indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) were determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Endogenous ethylene production by the bacteria was measured using gas chromatography, and biocontrol of phytopathogenic fungi was determined qualitatively using a dual culture technique.

Results

The putative endophytes released significantly higher amounts of amino acids than the rhizospheric bacteria, whilst the latter produced higher quantities of ethylene and were more actively antagonistic to fungi. Both types of bacteria released similar amounts of IAA.

Conclusion

Endophytic and rhizospheric bacteria differ in their capacity to release plant growth-promoting substances, which may be a reflection of their adaptations and an indication of their potential impact on their natural environment.

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Abbreviations

IAA:

Indole-3-acetic Acid

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo for grants and fellowships, Fazenda São Francisco for kindly providing the sugar cane samples, Dr. Marcel Bouquet for volunteering his many skills in translating this paper and Mrs. Rosana Prisco for the statistical analyses of the data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Felipe Ibañez de Santi Ferrara, Zilda Machado Oliveira, Hebert Hernan Soto Gonzales & Heloiza Ramos Barbosa

  2. Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Eny Iochevet Segal Floh

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  1. Felipe Ibañez de Santi Ferrara
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  2. Zilda Machado Oliveira
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Correspondence to Felipe Ibañez de Santi Ferrara.

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Responsible Editor: Euan K. James.

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de Santi Ferrara, F.I., Oliveira, Z.M., Gonzales, H.H.S. et al. Endophytic and rhizospheric enterobacteria isolated from sugar cane have different potentials for producing plant growth-promoting substances. Plant Soil 353, 409–417 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-1042-1

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