Authors: Suckstorff I.; Berg G.

Source: Journal of Applied Microbiology, Volume 95, Number 4, October 2003 , pp. 656-663(8)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Abstract:

i. suckstorff and g. berg. 2003. Aims:

To assess the influence of Stenotrophomonas on plants, the interaction of 16 Stenotrophomonas strains from clinical and environmental sources with strawberry plant seedlings was analysed. Methods and Results:

In vitro, all Stenotrophomonas strains influenced plant growth when applied to seedlings. Whereas most of the Stenotrophomonas strains promoted root growth and hair development, a statistically significantly negative influence on the length of stem was found. Although strains from a clinical origin also showed statistically significant effects on plants, this was generally lower when compared with environmental strains. For three selected strains, a strong dose-dependent effect was observed for all parameters. In vitro, a correlation was found between plant growth promotion and production of a plant growth hormone, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Xanthomonas campestris, a phylogenetically very closely related species to Stenotrophomonas, was used as a phytopathogenic control. It too confirmed the reduction of plant growth in this in vitro system. Conclusions:

Independent of their origin, Stenotrophomonas strains can produce IAA in vitro and subsequently, influence plant growth. The effect of Stenotrophomonas presence on plants was dose-dependent. Significance and Impact of the Study:

The dose-dependent effect of Stenotrophomonas, a bacterium of both biotechnological and medical interest, is of great interest for biocontrol applications of plant-associated strains. This paper is the first report that clearly demonstrates the phytopathogenic capacity of Stenotrophomonas.

Keywords: indole-3-acetic acid; plant–bacterium interaction; Stenotrophomonas; strawberry seedling assay

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2672.2003.02021.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology, Microbiology, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany

Publication date: 2003-10-01

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