Analysis of Biofilms Formed in Soil by Bacteria of the Genus Azospirillum
摘要
The strains A. baldaniorum Sp245 and A. brasilense Sp7 formed mono- and multi-layered biofilms on the surface of wheat roots both under sterile hydroponic conditions and under nonsterile soil conditions. For visualization of bacterial biofilms in situ, these strains were modified to carry a plasmid with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene. Azospirillum biofilms and/or their matrix components bound to soil particles and formed aggregates in the soil, and this affected not only its structure but also its adhesion to plant roots. When plants inoculated with azospirilla were exposed to short-term drought, bacteria in the biofilms formed on the surface of the root epidermis and root hairs produced GFP. Cultures of samples from the roots of these plants showed that GFP+ colonies were azospirilla. Inoculation with strains Sp7 and Sp245 positively affected the relative water content in the leaves of the plants under conditions simulating short-term drought in the soil.