Plant Growth Promotion by Variovorax strains on Arabidopsis thaliana
Poster Number
6B
Research or Creativity Area
Natural Sciences
Abstract
Crop cultivation often heavily relies on the extensive use of pesticides and other chemicals to maintain plant development and growth. A more sustainable option can be found through the use of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). These organisms produce different compounds and enzymes to improve plant fitness against abiotic and biotic stressors and support development. PGPR improve the plant’s ability to uptake nutrients, playing a role in nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubility, and production of plant hormones. Strains of the rhizobacteria Variovorax spp. have been found to contain such abilities, with 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylate deaminase activity (ACCd) and auxin degradation genes that lead to enhanced root growth, as well as phosphate solubilizing activity. As such, strains of Variovorax spp. have great potential as a solution for enhanced plant growth for agricultural application.
Using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system, we investigated the growth effects of four different Variovorax strains of PGPR. Arabidopsis seeds were germinated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with 0.8% agar and 1.5% sucrose. PGPR strains were introduced by applying drops of a bacterial suspension onto the media before seed placement. After a seven-day incubation period, seedlings were planted in a 1:3 perlite and potting soil mixture and maintained for approximately one month under controlled conditions in a light chamber. Plants were watered twice a week throughout the experiment. A total of 15 plants were analyzed, with three plants per PGPR strain and control group. Total plant mass, root mass, shoot mass, and root-to-shoot ratio were recorded. One set of plants were inoculated with V. paradoxus EPS containing a vector expressing the Green Fluorescent Protein. These plants were incubated in arabinose and DAPI to stain the DNA and induce GFP expression. These plant roots were imaged on the ECHO Revolve epifluorescence microscope.
Location
Don and Karen DeRosa University Center (DUC) Poster Hall
Start Date
27-4-2024 10:30 AM
End Date
27-4-2024 12:30 PM
Plant Growth Promotion by Variovorax strains on Arabidopsis thaliana
Don and Karen DeRosa University Center (DUC) Poster Hall
Crop cultivation often heavily relies on the extensive use of pesticides and other chemicals to maintain plant development and growth. A more sustainable option can be found through the use of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). These organisms produce different compounds and enzymes to improve plant fitness against abiotic and biotic stressors and support development. PGPR improve the plant’s ability to uptake nutrients, playing a role in nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubility, and production of plant hormones. Strains of the rhizobacteria Variovorax spp. have been found to contain such abilities, with 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylate deaminase activity (ACCd) and auxin degradation genes that lead to enhanced root growth, as well as phosphate solubilizing activity. As such, strains of Variovorax spp. have great potential as a solution for enhanced plant growth for agricultural application.
Using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system, we investigated the growth effects of four different Variovorax strains of PGPR. Arabidopsis seeds were germinated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with 0.8% agar and 1.5% sucrose. PGPR strains were introduced by applying drops of a bacterial suspension onto the media before seed placement. After a seven-day incubation period, seedlings were planted in a 1:3 perlite and potting soil mixture and maintained for approximately one month under controlled conditions in a light chamber. Plants were watered twice a week throughout the experiment. A total of 15 plants were analyzed, with three plants per PGPR strain and control group. Total plant mass, root mass, shoot mass, and root-to-shoot ratio were recorded. One set of plants were inoculated with V. paradoxus EPS containing a vector expressing the Green Fluorescent Protein. These plants were incubated in arabinose and DAPI to stain the DNA and induce GFP expression. These plant roots were imaged on the ECHO Revolve epifluorescence microscope.
