Increased Biomass of Nursery-Grown Douglas-Fir Seedlings upon Inoculation with Diazotrophic Endophytic Consortia

Forests

Zareen Khan²  Shyam L. Kandel²  Daniela N. Ramos²  Gregory J. Ettl²  Soo-Hyung Kim²  Sharon L. Doty¹ 

[1] School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, College of the Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA;

关键词: Douglas-fir;    conifers;    nurseries;    endophytes;    diazotrophic;    phosphate solubilization;    siderophore;    biomass;    sustainable forestry;   

DOI  :  10.3390/f6103582

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) seedlings are periodically challenged by biotic and abiotic stresses. The ability of endophytes to colonize the interior of plants could confer benefits to host plants that may play an important role in plant adaptation to environmental changes. In this greenhouse study, nursery-grown Douglas-fir seedlings were inoculated with diazotrophic endophytes previously isolated from poplar and willow trees and grown for fifteen months in nutrient-poor conditions. Inoculated seedlings had significant increases in biomass (48%), root length (13%) and shoot height (16%) compared to the control seedlings. Characterization of these endophytes for symbiotic traits in addition to nitrogen fixation revealed that they can also solubilize phosphate and produce siderophores. Colonization was observed through fluorescent microscopy in seedlings inoculated with gfp- and mkate-tagged strains. Inoculation with beneficial endophytes could prove to be valuable for increasing the production of planting stocks in forest nurseries.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.