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Research Project
INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE ROLE OF SOIL MICROORGANISMS IN THE RE-VEGETATION OF ENVIRONMENTALLY DISTURBED SITES AS A TOOL FOR LAND USE RESTORATION THROUGH BIOMASS PRODUCTION
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Inoculating Helianthus annuus (sunflower) grown in zinc and cadmium contaminated soils with plant growth promoting bacteria – Effects on phytoremediation strategies
Publication . Marques, Ana P. G. C.; Moreira, Helena; Franco, Albina R.; Rangel, António O. S. S.; Catro, Paula, M. L.
Plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPR) may help reducing the toxicity of heavy metals to plants in polluted environments. In this work the effects of inoculating metal resistant and plant growth promoting bacterial strains on the growth of Helianthus annuus grown in Zn and Cd spiked soils were assessed. The PGPR strains Ralstonia eutropha (B1) and Chrysiobacterium humi (B2) reduced losses of weight in metal exposed plants and induced changes in metal bioaccumulation and bioconcentration - with strain B2 decreasing up to 67% Zn accumulation and by 20% Zn bioconcentration factor (BCF) in the shoots, up to 64% Zn uptake and 38% Zn BCF in the roots, and up to 27% Cd uptake and 27% Cd BCF in plant roots. The impact of inoculation on the bacterial communities in the rhizosphere of the plant was also assessed. Bacterial community diversity decreased with increasing levels of metal contamination in the soil, but in rhizosphere soil of plants inoculated with the PGPR strains, a higher bacterial diversity was kept throughout the experimental period. Inoculation of sunflower, particularly with C humi (B2), appears to be an effective way of enhancing the short term stabilization potential of the plant in metal contaminated land, lowering losses in plant biomass and decreasing aboveground tissue contamination.
Growth promotional traits of three pgpr: possible uses for phytoremediation of degraded soils
Publication . Moreira, Helena; Pereira, Sofia A.; Vegas, Alberto L.; Rangel, António O. S. S.; Castro, Paula M. L.; Marques, Ana P. G. C.
Maize is a fast-growing and high yield crop with both energy value and remediation potential.
Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are a biological tool available to enhance plant
establishment in degraded or depleted environments such as the case of saline soils or
heavy-metal contaminated land. Although PGPR are able to produce metabolites such as
siderophores, HCN and ammonia, or solubilize nutrients such as phosphate, these beneficial
traits for the plant may be influenced by exposure to excessive levels of such contaminants.
In this study, three PGPR (Pseudomonas fluorescens, Ralstonia eutropha and
Cryseobacterium humi) were screened for those traits in the presence of different levels of
Cd and Zn, and also to different salinization conditions. Their ability to influence maize
germination and root and shoot elongation was also analyzed.
Results showed that the level of exposure generally affected the ability of the tested strains
to produce plant growth promoting substances. However, dissimilar sensibilities in the
behavior of the different strains were observed when exposed to similar stress conditions.
These differences were also noticeable in the plant development, with the tested PGPR
generally positively influencing the analyzed parameters.
Results suggest that PGPR can be exploited to promote stress relief of maize when grown in
degraded land. Such knowledge may provide a new insight concerning the advantages of
such biotechnologically based tools for phytoremediation.
Effects of the inoculation with soil microbiota onmaize grown in saline soils
Publication . Moreira, Helena; Pereira, Sofia A.; Castro, Paula M. L.; Marques, Ana P. G. C.
Phytomanagement of Cd-contaminated soils using maize (Zea mays L.) assisted by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteri
Publication . Moreira, Helena; Marques, Ana P. G. C.; Franco, Albina R.; Rangel, António O. S. S.; Castro, Paula M. L.
Zea mays (L.) is a crop widely cultivated throughout the world and can be considered suitable for phytomanagement due to its metal resistance and energetic value. In this study, the effect of two plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, Ralstonia eutropha and Chryseobacterium humi, on growth and metal uptake of Z. mays plants in soils contaminated with up to 30 mg Cd kg−1 was evaluated. Bacterial inoculation increased plant biomass up to 63 % and led to a decrease of up to 81 % in Cd shoot levels (4–88 mg Cd kg−1) and to an increase of up to 186 % in accumulation in the roots (52–134 mg Cd kg−1). The rhizosphere community structure changed throughout the experiment and varied with different levels of Cd soil contamination, as revealed by molecular biology techniques. Z. mays plants inoculated with either of the tested strains may have potential application in a strategy of soil remediation, in particular short-term phytostabilization, coupled with biomass production for energy purposes.
Application of maize and efficient rhizospheric microorganisms for the remediation of saline soils
Publication . Moreira, Helena; Pereira, Sofia A.; Vega, Alberto L.; Castro, Paula M. L.; Marques, Ana P. G. C.
Soil salinity is a serious problem causing loss of fertility, as plants facing salt stress suffer alterations in physiology that adversely affects its growth. This work aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of combinations of microorganisms for the recovery of crop productivity in soils affected by different levels of salinity (0, 2.5 and 5 gNaCl.kg-1). The strategy relied on the culture in greenhouse conditions of a high value food and energetic crop (maize) inoculated with soil plant growth promoting microbiota – an arbuscular mychorrizal fungi (Rhizophagus irregularis), a rhizobacteria (Pseudomonas reactans) and a bacterial endophyte (Pantoea ananatis). Plant biomass was assessed at harvest and differences between treatments were analysed. As the work also aimed to relate the effects of bioinoculation to alterations in plant response to salt stress, further parameters were assessed. Elevated salt levels induce ionic stress, with consequent nutrient imbalance; therefore, levels of Na, K and Ca were determined in plant tissues. As salt is also a major stress to soil organisms, rhizosphere samples were analysed to follow up of microbiota survival by molecular biology techniques (DGGE), assessing the effect of soil salinity at the different tested levels on the inoculated soil microorganisms persistence and relationship with the existing community. The collected information allowed understanding the effects of the applied biologically based treatments in the quality of the tested saline soils, on the dynamics of the present microbiota and on maize growth, focusing on the further development of cropping strategies for saline soils, grounded on sustainable agriculture practices.
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Funding agency
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Funding programme
Funding Award Number
SFRH/BD/64584/2009