Abstract
Methods are described for measuring the colonisation of a radish (Raphanus sativus) root system by seedlings with rifampicin resistant fluorescent pseudomonads by dilution plating, and which would take account of differences in root morphology. Differences in the levels of pseudomonad colonisation was highly dependent on the units in which surface areas was expressed. Population levels are expressed using estimates of surface area based on root length, tap-root length and root weight. The best estimate of surface area was root length, but the most practical method was surface area calculated as a function of dry weight. This method could differentiate differences in the levels of root colonisation independent of differences in root morphology and was efficient enough to allow the routine processing of a large number of replicate root samples.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bahme J B and Schroth M N 1987 Spatial-temporal colonization patterns of a rhizobacterium on underground organs of potato. Phytopath. 77, 1093–1100.
Bennett R A and Lynch J M 1981 Colonization potential of bacteria in the rhizosphere. Curr. Microbiol. 6, 137–138.
Bennett R A and Lynch J M 1981 Bacterial growth and development in the rhizosphere of gnotobiotic cereal plants. Microbiol. 125, 95–102.
Bowen G D 1980 Misconceptions, concepts and approahes in rhizosphere biology.In Contemporary Ecology. Eds. D C Ellwood, J N Hedgar, J M Lynch and J H Slater. pp 183–304. Academic Press.
Bowen G D and Rovira A D 1976 Microbial colonisation of plant roots. Annu. Rev. Phytopath. 14, 121–144.
Davies K G 1986 Studies of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Wales, Bangor.
Foster R C and Bowen G D 1982 Plant surfaces and bacterial growth: The rhizosphere and rhizoplane.In Phytopathogenic Prokaryotes. Vol. 1. Eds. M S Mount and G H Lacey. pp 159–185. Academic Press.
Foster R C and Rovira A D 1973 The rhizosphere of wheat roots studied by electron microscopy of ultra thin sections. Bull. Ecol. Comm. (Stockholm) 17, 93–102.
Foster R C, Rovira A D and Cock T W 1983 Ultrastructure of the root-soil interface. Am. Phytopath. Soc. St. Paul, Minnesota.
Geels F P and Schippers B 1983 Selection of antagonistic fluorescent Pseudomonads sup and their root colonization nad persistance following treatment of seed potatoes. Phytopath. Z. 108, 193–206.
Geels F P and Schippers B 1983 Reduction of yield depressions in high frequency potato cropping soil after seed tuber treatments with antagonistic fluorescentPseudomonad spp. Phytopath. Z. 108, 207–214.
Howie W J and Echandi E 1983 Rhizobacteria: Influence of cultivar and soil type on plant growth and yield of potato. Soil Biol. Biochem. 15, 127–132.
King E O, Ward M K and Raney D E 1954 Two simple media for the demonstration of pyocyanan and fluyorescen. J. Lab. Clin. Med. 44, 201–307.
Kirillova N P, Stasevich G A, Kozhevin P A and Zvyagintser D G 1981 Bacterial population dynamics in a soil-plant system. Microbiol. 50, 94–98.
Kloepper J W, Schroth M N and Miller T D 1980 Effects of rhizosphere colonization by plant growth promoting rhizobacteria on potato plant development and yield. Phytopath. 70, 1078–1082.
Loper J E, Haack C and Schroth M N 1985 Population dynamics of soil Pseudomonads in the rhizosphere of potato (Solanum tuberosum L). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 49, 416–422.
Loper J E, Suslow T V and Schroth M N 1984 Lognormal distribution of bacterial populations in the rhizosphere. Phytopath. 74, 1454–1460.
Lynch J M 1982 Interactions between bacteria and plants in the root environment. eds. Rhodes-Roberts and Skinner. pp. 1–23. Academic Press.
Newman E I 1966 A method of estimating the total length of a root in a sample. J. Appl. Ecol. 3, 139–145.
Newman E I 1978 Root micro-organisms: Their significance in the ecosystem. Biol. Rev. Camb. Phil. Soc. 53, 511–554.
Newman E I and Bowen H J 1974 Patterns of distribution of bacteria on root surfaces. Soil Biol. Biochem. 6, 205–209.
Polonenko D R, Pike D J and Mayfield C I 1978 A method for the analysis of growth patterns of microorganisms in soil. Can. J. Microbiol. 24, 1262–1271.
Rovira A D 1985 Manipulation of the rhizosphere microflora to increase plant production. Reviews and Rural Science 6: Biotechnology and Recombinant DNA Technology. Eds. A Leng, J S F Barker, D B Adams and K J Hutchingson. pp. 175–197.
Rovira A D, Newman E I, Bowen J H and Cambell R 1974 Quantitative assessment of the rhizosphere microflora by direct microscopy. Soil Biol. Biochem. 6, 211–216.
Scher F M, Ziegle J S and Kloepper J W 1984 A method for asessing the root-colonizing capacity of bacteria on maize. Can. J. Microbiol. 30, 151–157.
Schippers B and van Vuurde J W L 1978 Studies of microbial colonization of wheat roots and the manipulation of the rhizosphere micro-flora.In Microbial Ecolony. Eds. M W Loutit and J A R Miles. pp. 295–299. Springer-Verlag, Berlin and New York.
Schmidt E L 1979 Initiation of plant root microbe interactions. Annu. Rev. Microbiol. 33, 355–379.
Schroth M N and Hancock J G 1982 Disease-suppressive soil and root colonising bacteria. Science 216, 1376–1381.
Suslow T V 1982 Role of root colonizing bacteria and plant growth.In Phytopathogenic Prokaryotes. Vol. 1. Eds. M S Mount and G H Lacey. pp 187–223. Academic Press.
Suslow T V and Schroth M N 1982 Rhizobacteria of sugar beets: Effects of seed application and root colonization on yield. Phytopath. 72, 199–206.
Tennant D 1975 A test of a modified line intersect method of estimating root length. J. Ecol. 63, 995–1001.
Turner S M and Newman E I 1984 Growth of bacteria on roots of grasses: Influence of mineral nutrient supply and interactions between species. J.G. Microbiol. 130, 505–512.
Weller D M 1983 Colonization of wheat roots by a fluorescent pseudomonad suppressive to take-all. Phytopath. 73, 1548–1553.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Davies, K.G., Whitbread, R. A comparison of methods for measuring the colonisation of a root system by fluorescent Pseudomonads. Plant Soil 116, 239–246 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02214553
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02214553