Adsorption of Azospirillum brasilense to corn roots

Ron Gafny*, Yaacov Okon, Yoram Kapulnik, Meir Fischer

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

45 Scopus citations

Abstract

The adsorption of Azospirillum brasilense strain Cd to corn roots was measured using 32P-labeled Azospirillum cells. Binding kinetics showed that adherence of bacteria to roots increased during the first 90 min and attained a maximum level within 4.5 h. Maximum binding occurred at pH 6.1. The presence of Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ or poly-l-lysine (a polycation) reduced binding. Bacterial adherence to roots increased with increasing bacterial concentration up to 109 cells ml-1 of binding mixture. At higher concentrations, binding approached saturation. The bacteria attached to the roots and the bacteria in the solution around the roots were found to be in a dynamic equilibrium. Killing bacteria or roots with heat or glutaraldehyde inhibited the attachment. High concentrations of bacteria in the binding mixture (109-1011 cells ml-1) resulted in binding of bacteria to the roots in aggregates. The presence of several sugars, amino acids and organic acids inhibited adsorption. Chemotaxis of Azospirillum towards corn root exudates was observed. Treating the extract with trypsin eliminated this effect. At pH 6.1, Azospirillum brasilense strain Cd adsorbed in higher numbers than Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas flourescens and Escherichia coli. Differences in adsorption levels were also found among several strains and mutants of Azospirillum.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)69-75
Number of pages7
JournalSoil Biology and Biochemistry
Volume18
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1986

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Adsorption of Azospirillum brasilense to corn roots'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this