Roles of rhizobacteria from northeast natural ecosystems in improving crop productivity and stress tolerance

Project Overview

GNE17-149
Project Type: Graduate Student
Funds awarded in 2017: $14,848.00
Projected End Date: 03/31/2019
Grant Recipient: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Region: Northeast
State: New Jersey
Graduate Student:
William Errickson
Email
Faculty Advisor:
Bingru Huang
Email
Rutgers University

Commodities

  • Agronomic: corn, grass (misc. perennial), grass (turfgrass, sod)
  • Vegetables: tomatoes

Practices

  • Crop Production: fertilizers, stress tolerance
  • Soil Management: soil microbiology

    Proposal abstract:

    An understanding of the roles of microorganisms in promoting plant health is essential for improving crop productivity while reducing costs and environmental impacts in sustainable agriculture. The objective of this research is to explore the potential use of bacteria from natural ecosystems as biofertilizers to improve crop stress tolerance and reduce the use of inorganic fertilizers in sustainable production systems. Preliminary studies on perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) demonstrated an increase in biomass production, nutrient uptake and plant tolerance to salinity stress when the roots were inoculated with Burkholderia gladioli, Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria (PGPB), which were isolated from the roots of grass species native to the New Jersey Pine Barrens. This study will expand from our previous work with PGPB to investigate the roles of B. gladioli in improving root growth, nutrient use efficiency, and salinity tolerance in an agronomic crop, maize (Zea mays), and a horticultural crop, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).

    Project objectives from proposal:

    1. To determine the effectiveness of B. gladioli for improving salinity tolerance in tomato and maize irrigated with saline water by evaluating growth and physiological factors, as well as nutritional status of plants affected by the ACC-deaminase bacteria inoculation under salinity stress. 1. To determine the effectiveness of B. gladioli for improving salinity tolerance in tomato and maize irrigated with saline water by evaluating growth and physiological factors, as well as nutritional status of plants affected by the ACC-deaminase bacteria inoculation under salinity stress. 
    2. To determine the effectiveness of B. gladioli for improving nutrient uptake efficiency in tomato, maize, and perennial ryegrass in reduced fertility conditions by evaluating growth and physiological factors, as well as nutritional status of plants affected by the ACC-deaminase bacteria inoculation.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.