Journal of Food Processing & Technology

Harnessing plant growth-promoting bacteria for sustainable agriculture

Joint Conference on 8^th World Congress on Agriculture and Horticulture and 16^th Euro Global Summit on Food and Beverages

March 02-04, 2017 Amsterdam, Netherlands

Beatrice Berger, Matthias Becker and Silke Ruppel

Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops, Germany

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Food Process Technol

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: Conserving arable soils is one of the major challenges in agronomy for us and for future generations. Using beneficial native microorganisms such as plant growth-promoting bacteria contributes to sustainability in agricultural systems and helps maintain stable yields and product quality. However, the growth-promoting effects of candidate strains observed in pot trials often disappear under field conditions. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Kosakonia radicincitans was isolated from winter wheat; after establishing cultivation of the strain under laboratory conditions, biological atmospheric nitrogen fixing and phytohormone producing ability was demonstrated. Systemic application of K. radicincitans on glasshouse-grown plants revealed significant growth-promoting effects on various vegetables and crop plants. We evaluated the plant growth potential of K. radicincitans in radish (Raphanus sativus var. sativus L.), maize (Zea mays) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) when plants were grown under glasshouse and field conditions. Findings: Leaf and tuber weights of inoculated radish plants were significantly increased by up to 25%, biomass of maize up to 30% and grain yield gain in winter wheat was demonstrated to be up to 20% after bacterial application under field conditions. Conclusion & Significance: We demonstrate the capability of K. radicincitans to persist in plants and promote plant growth under field conditions. Therefore, K. radicincitans is a promising candidate for further processing as a growth-promoting product in sustainable agriculture.

Biography :

Beatrice Berger has her expertise in Plant Nutrition and Plant Ecology. She aims to improve the quality and yield of food plants by beneficial bacteria and fungi. Together with Silke Ruppel, she has started to establish the rhizobacteria Kosakonia radicincitans as a model organism; she is investigating the interaction of plantbeneficial bacteria to harness K. radicincitans for agricultural systems. Her research focuses on “Eco-physiological and molecular aspects of the interaction under abiotic and biotic stresses”. The team is complemented by Matthias Becker who is working on the evolution and processing of K. radicincitans.

Email: berger.beatrice@igzev.de