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Microbial production of plant hormones

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Abstract

Our laboratory has focused on microbial production of plant hormones and precursor-inoculum interactions. Indole-3-acetic acid was detected in soils incubated with L-tryptophan (L-TRP). Inoculation with the ectomycorrhizae, Pisolithus tinctorius significantly stimulated the growth of Douglas fir when supplied with low concentrations of L-TRP to soil. Among three Azotobacter spp. and two Pseudomonas spp., the most prolific producer of cytokinins was A. chroococcum and among the precursors tested adenine (ADE) and isopentyl alcohol (IA) were the most effective. Corn rhizosphere was found to be quite rich with microflora capable of producing ethylene from L-methionine (L-MET). Amino acids, carbohydrates and organic acids typically found in root exudates, were stimulatory to ethylene biosynthesis in soil. Etiolated pea seedlings exhibited the classical ‘triple’ response when L-MET and Acremonium falciforme were applied in combination to sterile soil or when L-MET was added to nonsterile soil.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of California, 92521, Riverside, CA, USA

    Muhammad Arshad & W. T. Frankenberger Jr

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  1. Muhammad Arshad
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  2. W. T. Frankenberger Jr
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First published in The Rhizosphere and Plant Growth. Eds. D L Keister and P B Gregan. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.

First published in The Rhizosphere and Plant Growth. Eds. D L Keister and P B Gregan. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.

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Arshad, M., Frankenberger, W.T. Microbial production of plant hormones. Plant Soil 133, 1–8 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011893

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