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ABSTRACT
The interaction between plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) and plants can enhance biomass production and metal tolerance of the host plants. This work aimed at isolating and characterizing the cultivable bacterial community associated with Brassica napus growing on a Zn-contaminated site, for selecting cultivable PGPB that might enhance biomass production and metal tolerance of energy crops. The effects of some of these bacterial strains on root growth of B. napus exposed to increasing Zn and Cd concentrations were assessed. A total of 426 morphologically different bacterial strains were isolated from the soil, the rhizosphere, and the roots and stems of B. napus. The diversity of the isolated bacterial populations was similar in rhizosphere and roots, but lower in soil and stem compartments. Burkoholderia, Alcaligenes, Agrococcus, Polaromonas, Stenotrophomonas, Serratia, Microbacterium, and Caulobacter were found as root endophytes exclusively. The inoculation of seeds with Pseudomonas sp. strains 228 and 256, and Serratia sp. strain 246 facilitated the root development of B. napus at 1,000 µM Zn. Arthrobacter sp. strain 222, Serratia sp. strain 246, and Pseudomonas sp. 228 and 262 increased the root length at 300 µM Cd.
Acknowledgment
The authors would like to acknowledge INIA for supporting the grant of B. Montalbán (FPI-INIA 2010), EIADES PROGRAM S2009/AMB-1478, RTA000150-00-00-INIA project and UHasselt Methusalem project 08M03VGRJ. S. Croes and N. Weyens are grateful to the FWO (Fund for Scientific Research Flanders) for, respectively, a PhD and post-doc grant.
Detailed phenotypic characterization of all the bacterial strains isolated can be found as supporting information.
Conflict of interest
The authors have no conflict of interest to declare