Establishment of Two Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria on Roots of Kallar Grass Using Alginate-Coated Seeds in Mixed Inoculation

Abstract

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria were immobilized in alginate layers on the surface of seeds of Kallar grass (Leptochloa fusca (L.) Kunth). It was investigated in in-vitro experiments whether these bacteria colonized the germinating plant faster than bacteria that were added with the plant’s medium. Two different species of bacteria were compared: Herbaspirillum seropedicae and Azospirillum brasilense. After monoxenic inoculation both species were recovered from the roots in similar numbers. But in experiments with mixed inoculation, one bacterium immobilized on the seeds, the other species in the medium and vice versa, the endophyte H. seropedicae proved to be superior regardless of the method of inoculation.