Changes in microbial communities associated with nematode control were studied by comparing population numbers of fungi and bacteria in the soil and in internal root tissues (endorhiza) in non-amended and chitin-amended soils. Addition of chitin to soil at 1% (w/w) eliminated plant-parasitic nematodes in a first planting of cotton cv. ‘Rowden’ and significantly reduced Meloidogyne incognita inf...

The rhizosphere is a densely populated area in which plant roots must compete with invading root systems of neighboring plants for space, water, and mineral nutrients, and with other soil-borne organisms, including bacteria and fungi. Root-root and root-microbe communications are continuous occurrences in this biologically active soil zone. How do roots manage to simultaneously communicate with...

layer sites of high charge phyllosilicates such as micas is not readily exchanged by other cations and is usually Physical and chemical weathering processes in the rhizosphere may considered ‘fixed’ (Comans et al., 1991). lead to the generation of a greater density of Cs-selective frayed edge sites (FES) on rhizosphere soil as compared with bulk soil. This study The strongest association betwee...

Soil is the sink and source of heavy metals (both geogenic and anthropogenic) and plants are the ecosystem regulators, balancing the chemistry of life on earth. However, roots are the only connection between soil and plants, which are the real engineers of ecosystem dynamics responsible for environmental balance and stability. The plant-soil interface termed as ‘rhizosphere’ is a typical zone o...

The effect of developing chrysanthemum roots on the presence and activity of bacterial populations in the rhizosphere was examined by using culture-independent methods. Nucleic acids were extracted from rhizosphere soil samples associated with the bases of roots or root tips of plants harvested at different stages of development. PCR and reverse transcriptase (RT) PCR were used to amplify 16S r...

The effect of bacterial secretion of an exopolysaccharide (EPS) on rhizosphere soil physical properties was investigated by inoculating strain NAS206, which was isolated from the rhizosphere of wheat (Triticum durum L.) growing in a Moroccan vertisol and was identified as Pantoea aglomerans. Phenotypic identification of this strain with the Biotype-100 system was confirmed by amplified ribosoma...

Silicon (Si) is important in mitigating abiotic and biotic plant stresses, yet many agricultural soils, such as those of the rainfed production areas of the South African sugar industry, are deficient in plant-available Si, making Si supplementation necessary. However, Si uptake by sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) is limited even where silicate amendments improve soil Si status. Rhizosphere p...

The interaction of Pseudomonas chlororaphis strain Sm3 and the root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus penetrans was investigated in three separate greenhouse experiments with soils from southern British Columbia, Canada. The bacteria were applied to the roots of strawberry plants and planted in unpasteurized field soils, with natural or supplemented infestation of P. penetrans. Nematode suppression ...

The rhizosphere harbors one of the most complex, diverse, and active plant-associated microbial communities. This community can be recruited by the plant host to either supply it with nutrients or to help in the survival under stressful conditions. Although selection for the rhizosphere community is evident, the specific bacterial traits that make them able to colonize this environment are stil...

Microbial communities closely associated with the rhizosphere can have strong positive and negative impacts on plant health and growth. We used a group-specific amplicon approach to investigate local scale drivers in the diversity and distribution of plasmodiophorids in rhizosphere/root and bulk soil samples from oilseed rape (OSR) and wheat agri-systems. Plasmodiophorids are plant- and stramen...