Abstract
The relatively low numbers and sporadic pattern of incidence of the acetic acid bacterium Gluconacetobacter sacchari with the pink sugarcane mealybug (PSMB) Saccharicoccus sacchariCockerell (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) over time and from different sugarcane-growing regions do not indicate that Glac. sacchari is a significant commensal of the PSMB, as has been previously proposed. This study was conducted to investigate the hypothesis that Glac. sacchari is, like its closest relative Glac. diazotrophicus, an endophyte of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.). In this study, bothGlac. sacchari and Glac. diazotrophicus were isolated from internal sugarcane tissue, although the detection of both species was sporadic in all sugarcane-growing regions of Queensland tested. To confirm the ability of Glac. sacchari to live endophytically, an experiment was conducted in which the roots of micropropagated sugarcane plantlets were inoculated with Glac. sacchari, and the plantlets were subsequently examined for the presence of the bacterium in the stem cells. Pure cultures of Glac. sacchari were grown from homogenized surface sterilized sugarcane stems inoculated withGlac. sacchari.Electron microscopy was used to provide further conclusive evidence that Glac. sacchari lives as an endophyte in sugarcane. Scanning electron microscopy of (SEM) sugarcane plantlet stems revealed rod-shaped cells of Glac. sacchari within a transverse section of the plantlet stem cells. The numbers of bacterial cells inside the plant cell indicated a successful infection and colonization of the plant tissue. Using transmission electron microscopy, (TEM) bacterial cells were more difficult to find, due to their spatial separation. In our study, bacteria were mostly found singularly, or in groups of up to four cells inside intercellular spaces, although bacterial cells were occasionally found inside other cells.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
N J Ashbolt P A Inkerman (1990) ArticleTitleAcetic acid bacterial biota of the pink sugar cane mealybug, Saccharicoccus sacchari, and its environs Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 56 707–712 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK3cXhvFCqu78%3D
C A J Asis M Kubota H Ohta Y Arima V Chebotar K-I Tsuchiya S Akao (2000) ArticleTitleIsolation and partial characterization of endophytic diazotrophs associated with Japanese sugarcane cultivar Soil Sci. Plant Nutr. 46 759–765
J Baldani L Caruso V Baldani S Goi J Dobereiner (1997) ArticleTitleRecent advances in BNF with non-legume plants Soil Biol. Biochem. 29 911–922 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0038-0717(96)00218-0 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK2sXks1ajt7s%3D
W L Barraquio L Revilla J K Ladha (1997) ArticleTitleIsolation of endophytic diazotrophic bacteria from wetland rice Plant Soil 194 15–24 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1004246904803 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK2sXnt1Wjtbk%3D
J W Beardsley (1959) ArticleTitleObservations on sugarcane mealybugs in Hawaii Proc. Int. Sugar Cane Technol. 10 954–961
R M Boddey S Urquiaga B J R Alves V Reis (2003) ArticleTitleEndophytic nitrogen fixation in sugarcane: present knowledge and future applications Plant Soil 252 139–149 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3sXksFWgurk%3D
V A Cavalcante J Döbereiner (1988) ArticleTitleA new acid-tolerant nitrogen-fixing bacterium associated with sugarcane Plant Soil 108 23–31
J De Ley J Swings F Gosselé (1984) Genus 1. Acetobacter Beijerinck 1898, 215AL N R Krieg J G Holt (Eds) Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology The Williams and Wilkins Co Baltimore 268–274
J Dick (1969) The mealybugs of sugarcane J R Williams J R Metcalfe R W Mungomery R Mathes (Eds) Pests of Sugarcane Elsevier Amsterdam 343–365
J Döbereiner J M Day P J Dart (1972) ArticleTitleNitrogenase activity in the rhizosphere of sugarcane and some other grasses Plant Soil 37 191–196
J Döbereiner V M Reis M A Paula F Olivares (1993) Endophytic diazotrophs in sugar cane, cereals and tuber plants R Palacios J Mora W E Newton (Eds) New Horizons in nitrogen fixation Kluwer Academic Publishers Dordrecht 671–676
Z Dong M J Canny M E McCully M Regla Roboredo C Fernandez Cabadilla E Ortega R Rodés (1994) ArticleTitleA Nitrogen-Fixing Endophyte of Sugarcane Stems Plant Physiol. 105 1139–1147 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK2cXlsFegu78%3D Occurrence Handle12232271
Z Dong M Heydrich K Bernard M E McCully (1995) ArticleTitleFurther evidence that the N2-fixing endophytic bacterium from the intercellular spaces of sugarcane stems is Acetobacter diazotrophicus Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 61 1843–1846 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK2MXlsFykt7k%3D
Z Dong M E McCully M J Canny (1997) ArticleTitleDoes Acetobacter diazotrophicus live and move in the xylem of sugarcane stems? Anatomical and physiological data Ann. Bot. 80 147–158
I H Franke M Fegan C Hayward G Leonard L I Sly (2000) ArticleTitleMolecular detection of Gluconacetobacter sacchari associated with the pink sugarcane mealybug Saccharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell) and the sugarcane leaf sheath microenvironment by FISH and PCR FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 31 61–71 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3cXhtVeksA%3D%3D Occurrence Handle10620720
I H Franke M Fegan C Hayward G Leonard E Stackebrandt L I Sly (1999) ArticleTitleDescription of Gluconacetobacter sacchari sp. nov., a new species of acetic acid bacterium isolated from the leaf sheath of sugar cane and from the pink sugar-cane mealy bug Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 49 1681–1693 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1MXnsFGitb8%3D Occurrence Handle10555349
L E Fuentes-Ramirez R Bustillos-Cristales A Tapia-Hernandez T Jimenez-Salgado E T Wang E Martinez-Romero J Caballero-Mellado (2001) ArticleTitleNovel nitrogen-fixing acetic acid bacteria, Gluconacetobacter johannae sp nov and Gluconacetobacter azotocaptans sp nov, associated with coffee plants Int. J. Syst. Evol. Micro. 51 1305–1314 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3MXmtVSmur8%3D
L E Fuentes-Ramirez J Caballero-Mellado J Sepulveda E Martinez-Romero (1999) ArticleTitleColonization of sugarcane by Acetobacter diazotrophicus is inhibited by high N-fertilization FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 29 117–128 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1MXksVygtrk%3D
Inkerman P A, Ashbolt N J, Carver M, Williams D J 1986 Observations on the pink sugarcane mealybug, Saccharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell), in Australia (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae). Proc.19th Congr. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol. 1: 612–618
G James (1996) ArticleTitleA review of ratoon stunting disease Int. Sugar J. 98 532–541
E K James F Olivares A L M Oliveira Particlede F B Dos Reis L G Da Silva V Reis (2001) ArticleTitleFurther observations on the interaction between sugar cane and Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus under laboratory and greenhouse conditions J. Exp. Bot. 52 747–760 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3MXltVaqu7k%3D Occurrence Handle11413211
E K James V M Reis F L Olivares J I Baldani J Döbereiner (1994) ArticleTitleInfection of sugarcane by the nitrogen-fixing bacterium Acetobacter diazotrophicus J. Exp. Bot. 45 757–766 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK2cXmtVChtbw%3D
R Li I C MacRae (1991) ArticleTitleSpecific association of diazotrophic Acetobacters with sugarcane Soil Biol. Biochem. 23 999–1002 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK38XlsFenuw%3D%3D
R Li I C MacRae (1992) ArticleTitleSpecific identification and enumeration of Acetobacter diazotrophicusin sugarcane Soil Biol. Biochem. 24 413–419
T Murashige F Skoog (1962) ArticleTitleA revised medium for rapid growth and bio assays with tobacco tissue cultures Physiol. Plant 15 473–497 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaF3sXksFKm
A L M Oliveira S Urquiaga J Döbereiner J I Baldani (2002) ArticleTitleThe effect of inoculating endophytic N2-fixing bacteria on micropropagated sugarcane plants Plant Soil 242 205–215 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD38XltFKisb8%3D
D Patriquin L Gracioli A P Ruschel (1980) ArticleTitleNitogenase activity of sugarcane propagated from stem cuttings in sterile vermiculite Soil Biol. Biochem. 12 413–417 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaL3cXmtlGis7s%3D
J M Paturau (1988) Alternative uses of sugarcane and its byproducts in agroindustries R Sansourcy G Aarts T R Preston (Eds) Sugarcane as Feed FAO Rome 24–44
V M Reis F L Olivares A L M Oliveira Particlede F B D Junior J I Baldani J Döbereiner (1999) ArticleTitleTechnical approaches to inoculate micropropagated sugar cane plants with Acetobacter diazotrophicus Plant Soil 206 205–211
V M Reis F L Olivares J Döbereiner (1994) ArticleTitleImproved methodology for isolation of Acetobacter diazotrophicus and confirmation of its endophytic habitat World J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 10 401–405
A Tapia-Hernandez R Bustillos-Cristales T Jimenez-Salgado J Caballero-Mellado L Fuentes-Ramirez (2000) ArticleTitleNatural endophytic occurence of Acetobacter diazotrophicus in pineapple plants Microb. Ecol. 39 49–55 Occurrence Handle10790517
S Urquiaga K H S Cruz RM Boddey (1992) ArticleTitleContribution of nitrogen fixation to sugar cane: nitrogen-15 and nitrogen-balance estimates Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 56 105–114
H H Youssef M Fayez M Monib N Hegazi (2004) ArticleTitleGluconacetobacter diazotrophicus: a natural endophytic diazotroph of Nile Delta sugarcane capable of establishing an endophytic association with wheat Biol. Fert. Soils 6 391–397
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Franke-Whittle, I.H., O’Shea, M.G., Leonard, G.J. et al. Investigation into the ability of Gluconacetobacter sacchari to live as an endophyte in sugarcane. Plant Soil 271, 285–295 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-004-3039-5
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-004-3039-5