Quality Assessment of Commercial Biofertilisers and the Awareness of Smallholder Farmers in Gauteng Province, South Africa

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Quality Assessment of Commercial Biofertilisers and the Awareness of Smallholder Farmers in Gauteng Province, South Africa QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF COMMERCIAL BIOFERTILISERS AND THE AWARENESS OF SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN GAUTENG PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA by ADEKUNLE RAIMI submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in the subject Environmental Science at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: Prof R A Adeleke January 2018 Dedication This work is dedicated to my beloved wife and children. i Declaration . I RAIMI ADEKUNLE, hereby declare that the dissertation/thesis, which I hereby submit for the degree of Masters in Environmental Science at the University of South Africa, is my own work and has not previously been submitted by me or any other person for a degree at this or any other institution. I declare that the dissertation does not contain any written work presented by other persons whether written, pictures, graphs or data or any other information without acknowledging the source. I declare that where words from a written source have been used, the words were paraphrased and referenced, and where exact words from a source have been used, the words have been placed inside quotation marks and referenced. I declare that I have not copied and pasted any information from the internet, without specifically acknowledging the source and have inserted appropriate references to these sources in the reference section of the dissertation. I declare that during my study I adhered to the Research Ethics Policy of the University of South Africa, received ethics approval for the duration of my study prior to the commencement of data gathering, and have not acted outside the approval conditions. I declare that the content of my dissertation has been submitted through an electronic plagiarism detection programme before the final submission for examination. _________________________ Signed: Adekunle R. Raimi Date: December, 2017 ii Acknowledgements I gratefully acknowledge the following individuals and organisations for their support towards the completion of this study: Firstly, my sincere gratitude to the Almighty Jehovah, the giver of life, knowledge and wisdom who supported me from the genesis to the revelation of the fulfilment of this study. I give glory, honour and adoration unto Him, and to my Lord, Jesus Christ. To my wife, Oluwatoyin Racheal, I really appreciate your continuous love and support, especially during my studies. Also to my loved ones, Arajesu Morayooluwa and Jesulayomi Morolayo, God bless you. I am also very grateful to my father and mother and other family members who supported in diverse ways. I particularly wish to appreciate my supervisor, Professor Rasheed Adeleke, whose support and understanding has contributed immensely to the achieved success. Thank you so very much for your time, dedication and knowledge shared. To all the members of Microbiology and Environmental Biotechnology Research Group at the Institute for Soil, Climate and Water- Agricultural Research Council, I appreciate you for your encouragement and administrative and technical support. I want to appreciate my very good friend and brother, Obinna Ezeokoli and other colleagues, especially Dr Ashira, Dr Busiswa, Dr Emomotimi, Dr Goodman and Teboho for their invaluable contributions in achieving this great goal. Thank you all. This work was jointly supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), through the Research and Technology Fund (RTF) [grant number 98692]. I also acknowledge UNISA (Masters by Dissertation bursary) and Agricultural Research Council for their financial support. iii Special thanks to the staff of Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Pretoria and Randfontein regions, particularly Mr Arthur Madaka and Sir Lesego Phakedi for granting me the opportunity to interview the smallholder farmers in their regions. iv Research output Publication Soil fertility challenges and biofertiliser as a viable alternative for increasing smallholder farmer crop productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. Cogent Food & Agriculture, 3(1), 1-26, Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2017.1400933. Adekunle Raimi, Rasheed Adeleke and Ashira Roopnarain v Summary This study aimed to evaluate commercial biofertiliser quality and awareness amongst smallholder farmers in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Sixty-seven smallholder farmers were interviewed in Gauteng Province by using a survey method, while the physicochemical and microbiological properties of 13 biofertilisers were evaluated using laboratory experiments. The results showed that awareness and use of biofertiliser are very poor, with 96% of the smallholder farmers surveyed not having biofertiliser knowledge. Furthermore, the products lack basic quality parameters: 54% contained no biofertiliser strain while all the products contained microbial contaminants. The pH, moisture content and viable microbial densities were below the acceptable standards for some of the products. Two fungal and 58 bacterial operational taxonomic units were obtained from the 16S rRNA Sanger sequences while 5 791 OTUs were obtained from the Illumina Miseq system. Approximately 40%, 41% and 59% of the isolates were positive for nitrogen-fixation, siderophore production and phosphorous solubilisation. Overall, there is a need to improve awareness amongst farmers and promote good-quality biofertiliser products for increased crop productivity. Keywords: Biofertiliser, contaminants, crop productivity, awareness, quality parameters. vi Table of Contents Pages Dedication ................................................................................................................................i Declaration..............................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements ...............................................................................................................iii Research output .......................................................................................................................v Summary ................................................................................................................................vi Table of Contents .................................................................................................................vii List of Tables ........................................................................................................................xii List of Figures ......................................................................................................................xiv List of Abbreviations ...........................................................................................................xvi Chapter One ............................................................................................................................1 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 2 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................ 2 1.2 Rationale .................................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Justification ................................................................................................................ 4 1.4 Hypotheses ................................................................................................................5 1.5 Aim and objectives .................................................................................................... 5 Chapter Two .......................................................................................................................... 6 2. Literature review.................................................................................................... 7 2.1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................7 2.1.1 Smallholdings and Smallholder Farmers ........................................................... 7 2.1.2 Smallholder farmers in South Africa ................................................................. 8 2.1.3 Smallholder economic importance .................................................................... 9 2.1.4 Smallholder challenges .................................................................................... 10 2.2 Challenges in the use of inorganic and organic fertilisers ....................................... 10 2.3 Awareness and application of biofertiliser among South African smallholder farmers.….................................................................................................................12 2.3.1 Factors affecting awareness and use of biofertilisers among smallholder farmers ............................................................................................................. 13 2.4 Soil fertility .............................................................................................................. 14 vii 2.5 Biofertiliser .............................................................................................................. 16 2.5.1 What are biofertilisers? .................................................................................... 16 2.5.2 Types of biofertiliser ....................................................................................... 18 2.6 History of biofertiliser ............................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Arthrobacter Paludis Sp. Nov., Isolated from a Marsh
    TAXONOMIC DESCRIPTION Zhang et al., Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2018;68:47–51 DOI 10.1099/ijsem.0.002426 Arthrobacter paludis sp. nov., isolated from a marsh Qi Zhang,1 Mihee Oh,1 Jong-Hwa Kim,1 Rungravee Kanjanasuntree,1 Maytiya Konkit,1 Ampaitip Sukhoom,2 Duangporn Kantachote2 and Wonyong Kim1,* Abstract A novel Gram-stain-positive, strictly aerobic, non-endospore-forming bacterium, designated CAU 9143T, was isolated from a hydric soil sample collected from Seogmo Island in the Republic of Korea. Strain CAU 9143T grew optimally at 30 C, at pH 7.0 and in the presence of 1 % (w/v) NaCl. The phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain CAU 9143T belonged to the genus Arthrobacter and was closely related to Arthrobacter ginkgonis SYP-A7299T (97.1 % T similarity). Strain CAU 9143 contained menaquinone MK-9 (H2) as the major respiratory quinone and diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, two glycolipids and two unidentified phospholipids as the major polar lipids. The whole-cell sugars were glucose and galactose. The peptidoglycan type was A4a (L-Lys–D-Glu2) and the major cellular fatty T acid was anteiso-C15 : 0. The DNA G+C content was 64.4 mol% and the level of DNA–DNA relatedness between CAU 9143 and the most closely related strain, A. ginkgonis SYP-A7299T, was 22.3 %. Based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genetic data, strain CAU 9143T represents a novel species of the genus Arthrobacter, for which the name Arthrobacter paludis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CAU 9143T (=KCTC 13958T,=CECT 8917T).
    [Show full text]
  • Comparative Genomic Analysis of Three Pseudomonas
    microorganisms Article Comparative Genomic Analysis of Three Pseudomonas Species Isolated from the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) Tissues, Mantle Fluid, and the Overlying Estuarine Water Column Ashish Pathak 1, Paul Stothard 2 and Ashvini Chauhan 1,* 1 Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, School of the Environment, 1515 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Suite 305B, FSH Science Research Center, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA; [email protected] 2 Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G2P5, Canada; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-850-412-5119; Fax: +1-850-561-2248 Abstract: The eastern oysters serve as important keystone species in the United States, especially in the Gulf of Mexico estuarine waters, and at the same time, provide unparalleled economic, ecological, environmental, and cultural services. One ecosystem service that has garnered recent attention is the ability of oysters to sequester impurities and nutrients, such as nitrogen (N), from the estuarine water that feeds them, via their exceptional filtration mechanism coupled with microbially-mediated denitrification processes. It is the oyster-associated microbiomes that essentially provide these myriads of ecological functions, yet not much is known on these microbiota at the genomic scale, especially from warm temperate and tropical water habitats. Among the suite of bacterial genera that appear to interplay with the oyster host species, pseudomonads deserve further assessment because Citation: Pathak, A.; Stothard, P.; of their immense metabolic and ecological potential. To obtain a comprehensive understanding on Chauhan, A. Comparative Genomic this aspect, we previously reported on the isolation and preliminary genomic characterization of Analysis of Three Pseudomonas Species three Pseudomonas species isolated from minced oyster tissue (P.
    [Show full text]
  • Stress-Tolerance and Taxonomy of Culturable Bacterial Communities Isolated from a Central Mojave Desert Soil Sample
    geosciences Article Stress-Tolerance and Taxonomy of Culturable Bacterial Communities Isolated from a Central Mojave Desert Soil Sample Andrey A. Belov 1,*, Vladimir S. Cheptsov 1,2 , Elena A. Vorobyova 1,2, Natalia A. Manucharova 1 and Zakhar S. Ezhelev 1 1 Soil Science Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia; [email protected] (V.S.C.); [email protected] (E.A.V.); [email protected] (N.A.M.); [email protected] (Z.S.E.) 2 Space Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991, Russia * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +7-917-584-44-07 Received: 28 February 2019; Accepted: 8 April 2019; Published: 10 April 2019 Abstract: The arid Mojave Desert is one of the most significant terrestrial analogue objects for astrobiological research due to its genesis, mineralogy, and climate. However, the knowledge of culturable bacterial communities found in this extreme ecotope’s soil is yet insufficient. Therefore, our research has been aimed to fulfil this lack of knowledge and improve the understanding of functioning of edaphic bacterial communities of the Central Mojave Desert soil. We characterized aerobic heterotrophic soil bacterial communities of the central region of the Mojave Desert. A high total number of prokaryotic cells and a high proportion of culturable forms in the soil studied were observed. Prevalence of Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Firmicutes was discovered. The dominance of pigmented strains in culturable communities and high proportion of thermotolerant and pH-tolerant bacteria were detected. Resistance to a number of salts, including the ones found in Martian regolith, as well as antibiotic resistance, were also estimated.
    [Show full text]
  • Rapport Nederlands
    Moleculaire detectie van bacteriën in dekaarde Dr. J.J.P. Baars & dr. G. Straatsma Plant Research International B.V., Wageningen December 2007 Rapport nummer 2007-10 © 2007 Wageningen, Plant Research International B.V. Alle rechten voorbehouden. Niets uit deze uitgave mag worden verveelvoudigd, opgeslagen in een geautomatiseerd gegevensbestand, of openbaar gemaakt, in enige vorm of op enige wijze, hetzij elektronisch, mechanisch, door fotokopieën, opnamen of enige andere manier zonder voorafgaande schriftelijke toestemming van Plant Research International B.V. Exemplaren van dit rapport kunnen bij de (eerste) auteur worden besteld. Bij toezending wordt een factuur toegevoegd; de kosten (incl. verzend- en administratiekosten) bedragen € 50 per exemplaar. Plant Research International B.V. Adres : Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen : Postbus 16, 6700 AA Wageningen Tel. : 0317 - 47 70 00 Fax : 0317 - 41 80 94 E-mail : [email protected] Internet : www.pri.wur.nl Inhoudsopgave pagina 1. Samenvatting 1 2. Inleiding 3 3. Methodiek 8 Algemene werkwijze 8 Bestudeerde monsters 8 Monsters uit praktijkteelten 8 Monsters uit proefteelten 9 Alternatieve analyse m.b.v. DGGE 10 Vaststellen van verschillen tussen de bacterie-gemeenschappen op myceliumstrengen en in de omringende dekaarde. 11 4. Resultaten 13 Monsters uit praktijkteelten 13 Monsters uit proefteelten 16 Alternatieve analyse m.b.v. DGGE 23 Vaststellen van verschillen tussen de bacterie-gemeenschappen op myceliumstrengen en in de omringende dekaarde. 25 5. Discussie 28 6. Conclusies 33 7. Suggesties voor verder onderzoek 35 8. Gebruikte literatuur. 37 Bijlage I. Bacteriesoorten geïsoleerd uit dekaarde en van mycelium uit commerciële teelten I-1 Bijlage II. Bacteriesoorten geïsoleerd uit dekaarde en van mycelium uit experimentele teelten II-1 1 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Isolation of Arthrobacter Species from the Phyllosphere and Demonstration of Their Epiphytic fitness Tanja R
    ORIGINAL RESEARCH Isolation of Arthrobacter species from the phyllosphere and demonstration of their epiphytic fitness Tanja R. Scheublin1 & Johan H. J. Leveau1,2 1Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, Wageningen, 6708 PB, The Netherlands 2Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616 Keywords Abstract Arthrobacter, biodegradation, phylloplane, phylloremediation, soil, triadimenol Bacteria of the genus Arthrobacter are common inhabitants of the soil environ- ment, but can also be recovered from leaf surfaces (the phyllosphere). Using Correspondence enrichment cultures on 4-chlorophenol, we succeeded in specifically isolating Johan Leveau, University of California, Arthrobacter bacteria from ground cover vegetation in an apple orchard. Based Department of Plant Pathology, One Shields on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the isolates were found to belong to at least Avenue, Davis, CA 95616. three different species of Arthrobacter. Compared to the model bacterial epi- Tel: +1 (530) 752 5046; Fax: +1 (530) 752 5674; E-mail: [email protected] phyte Pantoea agglomerans, the Arthrobacter isolates performed as well or even better in a standardized laboratory test of phyllosphere fitness. A similar perfor- Funding Information mance was observed with the well-characterized soil isolate Arthrobacter chloro- This work was supported as part of the phenolicus A6. These findings suggest that the frequently reported presence of BACSIN project within
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix 1. Validly Published Names, Conserved and Rejected Names, And
    Appendix 1. Validly published names, conserved and rejected names, and taxonomic opinions cited in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology since publication of Volume 2 of the Second Edition of the Systematics* JEAN P. EUZÉBY New phyla Alteromonadales Bowman and McMeekin 2005, 2235VP – Valid publication: Validation List no. 106 – Effective publication: Names above the rank of class are not covered by the Rules of Bowman and McMeekin (2005) the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision), and the names of phyla are not to be regarded as having been validly published. These Anaerolineales Yamada et al. 2006, 1338VP names are listed for completeness. Bdellovibrionales Garrity et al. 2006, 1VP – Valid publication: Lentisphaerae Cho et al. 2004 – Valid publication: Validation List Validation List no. 107 – Effective publication: Garrity et al. no. 98 – Effective publication: J.C. Cho et al. (2004) (2005xxxvi) Proteobacteria Garrity et al. 2005 – Valid publication: Validation Burkholderiales Garrity et al. 2006, 1VP – Valid publication: Vali- List no. 106 – Effective publication: Garrity et al. (2005i) dation List no. 107 – Effective publication: Garrity et al. (2005xxiii) New classes Caldilineales Yamada et al. 2006, 1339VP VP Alphaproteobacteria Garrity et al. 2006, 1 – Valid publication: Campylobacterales Garrity et al. 2006, 1VP – Valid publication: Validation List no. 107 – Effective publication: Garrity et al. Validation List no. 107 – Effective publication: Garrity et al. (2005xv) (2005xxxixi) VP Anaerolineae Yamada et al. 2006, 1336 Cardiobacteriales Garrity et al. 2005, 2235VP – Valid publica- Betaproteobacteria Garrity et al. 2006, 1VP – Valid publication: tion: Validation List no. 106 – Effective publication: Garrity Validation List no. 107 – Effective publication: Garrity et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Manuscript with Highlighted Changes 06032020
    1 Diversity and distribution of Nitrogen Fixation Genes in the Oxygen Minimum Zones of the 2 World Oceans 3 1Amal Jayakumar and 1Bess B. Ward 4 5 1Department of Geosciences 6 Princeton University 7 Princeton, NJ 08544 8 9 Abstract 10 Diversity and community composition of nitrogen fixing microbes in the three main oxygen 11 minimum zones (OMZs) of the world ocean were investigated using operational taxonomic unit 12 (OTU) analysis of nifH clone libraries. Representatives of the all four main clusters of nifH genes 13 were detected. Cluster I sequences were most diverse in the surface waters and the most abundant 14 OTUs were affiliated with Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria. Cluster II, III, IV assemblages were 15 most diverse at oxygen depleted depths and none of the sequences were closely related to sequences 16 from cultivated organisms. The OTUs were biogeographically distinct for the most part – there was 17 little overlap among regions, between depths or between cDNA and DNA. Only a few 18 cyanobacterial sequences were detected. The prevalence and diversity of microbes that harbour nifH 19 genes in the OMZ regions, where low rates of N fixation are reported, remains an enigma. 20 21 Introduction 22 Nitrogen fixation is the biological process that introduces new biologically available 23 nitrogen into the ocean, and thus constrains the overall productivity of large regions of the ocean 24 where N is limiting to primary production. The most abundant and most important diazotrophs 25 in the ocean are cyanobacteria, members of the filamentous genus Trichodesmium and several 1 26 unicellular genera, including Chrocosphaera sp.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloaded 09/29/21 03:44 AM UTC 230 SZURÓCZKI ET AL
    Acta Microbiologica et Immunologica Hungarica, 63 (2), pp. 229–241 (2016) DOI: 10.1556/030.63.2016.2.7 MICROBIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS ON THE WATER OF A THERMAL BATH AT BUDAPEST SÁRA SZURÓCZKI,ZSUZSA KÉKI,SZANDRA KÁLI,ANETT LIPPAI, KÁROLY MÁRIALIGETI and ERIKA TÓTH* Department of Microbiology, Eötvös Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary (Received: 19 February 2016; accepted: 14 April 2016) Thermal baths are unique aquatic environments combining a wide variety of natural and anthropogenic ecological factors, which also appear in their microbiolog- ical state. There is limited information on the microbiology of thermal baths in their complexity, tracking community shifts from the thermal wells to the pools. In the present study, the natural microbial community of well and pool waters in Gellért bath was studied in detail by cultivation-based techniques. To isolate bacteria, 10% R2A and minimal synthetic media (with “bath water”) with agar–agar and gellan gum were used after prolonged incubation time; moreover, polyurethane blocks covered with media were also applied. Strains were identified by sequencing their 16S rRNA gene after grouping them by amplified rDNA restriction analysis. From each sample, the dominance of Alphaproteobacteria was characteristic though their diversity differed among samples. Members of Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Beta- and Gamma- proteobacteria, Deinococcus–Thermus, and Bacteroidetes were also identified. Repre- sentatives of Deinococcus–Thermus phylum appeared only in the pool water. The largest groups in the pool water belonged to the Tistrella and Chelatococcus genera. The most dominant member in the well water was a new taxon, its similarity to Hartmannibacter diazotrophicus as closest relative was 93.93%. Keywords: cultivation, Gellért bath, well and pool waters, 16S rDNA, bacterial community structure Introduction Hot springs and thermal baths support diverse unique microbial communi- ties.
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluation of FISH for Blood Cultures Under Diagnostic Real-Life Conditions
    Original Research Paper Evaluation of FISH for Blood Cultures under Diagnostic Real-Life Conditions Annalena Reitz1, Sven Poppert2,3, Melanie Rieker4 and Hagen Frickmann5,6* 1University Hospital of the Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany 2Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland 3Faculty of Medicine, University Basel, Basel, Switzerland 4MVZ Humangenetik Ulm, Ulm, Germany 5Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany 6Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Hospital Rostock, Rostock, Germany Received: 04 September 2018; accepted: 18 September 2018 Background: The study assessed a spectrum of previously published in-house fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) probes in a combined approach regarding their diagnostic performance with incubated blood culture materials. Methods: Within a two-year interval, positive blood culture materials were assessed with Gram and FISH staining. Previously described and new FISH probes were combined to panels for Gram-positive cocci in grape-like clusters and in chains, as well as for Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria. Covered pathogens comprised Staphylococcus spp., such as S. aureus, Micrococcus spp., Enterococcus spp., including E. faecium, E. faecalis, and E. gallinarum, Streptococcus spp., like S. pyogenes, S. agalactiae, and S. pneumoniae, Enterobacteriaceae, such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and Bacteroides spp. Results: A total of 955 blood culture materials were assessed with FISH. In 21 (2.2%) instances, FISH reaction led to non-interpretable results. With few exemptions, the tested FISH probes showed acceptable test characteristics even in the routine setting, with a sensitivity ranging from 28.6% (Bacteroides spp.) to 100% (6 probes) and a spec- ificity of >95% in all instances.
    [Show full text]
  • Meddling with Marinobacter: Microbial Interactions with the Environment a DISSERTATION SUMITTED to the FACULTY of the UNIVERSITY
    Meddling with Marinobacter: Microbial Interactions with the Environment A DISSERTATION SUMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Benjamin M. Bonis IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Jeffrey A. Gralnick: Advisor June 2018 Copyright Benjamin M. Bonis 2018 iv Acknowledgements How could I possibly express the profound gratitude towards all those who have helped me reach this point? Moments of inspiration, illuminating conversation, and thoughtful insights that outwardly seemed just the mundane passing of time; but cumulatively provided the knowledge, direction, and perspective that led me here. Thank you to those who guided my education, both in the professional capacity as professors and mentors, and as my lab mates and peers. Special thanks of course to my advisor, Jeffrey Gralnick, for giving me the chance to work in his lab and continue my education, as well as fostering such a wonderful community to work in. Special thanks as well to Daniel Bond for his mentorship and remarkable ability to make every conversation a learning experience. To the lab mates who helped me navigate the difficulties of life and graduate school, and made it a great time along the way. Special thanks to Zara Summers, Nick Kotloski, Abhiney Jain, and the Erics; they have no idea how influential they have been. I owe much of my achievement to my eternally supportive family, who inspired, taught, and molded me towards my goals. It is the unique combination of all of your contributions and talents that made me who I am. Thank you and I love you.
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogenomic Analyses of the Genus Pseudomonas Lead to the Rearrangement of Several Species and the Definition of New Genera
    biology Article Phylogenomic Analyses of the Genus Pseudomonas Lead to the Rearrangement of Several Species and the Definition of New Genera Zaki Saati-Santamaría 1,2,* , Ezequiel Peral-Aranega 1,2 , Encarna Velázquez 1,2,3, Raúl Rivas 1,2,3 and Paula García-Fraile 1,2,3 1 Microbiology and Genetics Department, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; [email protected] (E.P.-A.); [email protected] (E.V.); [email protected] (R.R.); [email protected] (P.G.-F.) 2 Institute for Agribiotechnology Research (CIALE), 37185 Salamanca, Spain 3 Associated Research Unit of Plant-Microorganism Interaction, University of Salamanca-IRNASA-CSIC, 37008 Salamanca, Spain * Correspondence: [email protected] Simple Summary: Pseudomonas represents a very important bacterial genus that inhabits many environments and plays either prejudicial or beneficial roles for higher hosts. However, there are many Pseudomonas species which are too divergent to the rest of the genus. This may interfere in the correct development of biological and ecological studies in which Pseudomonas are involved. Thus, we aimed to study the correct taxonomic placement of Pseudomonas species. Based on the study of their genomes and some evolutionary-based methodologies, we suggest the description of three new genera (Denitrificimonas, Parapseudomonas and Neopseudomonas) and many reclassifications of species Citation: Saati-Santamaría, Z.; previously included in Pseudomonas. Peral-Aranega, E.; Velázquez, E.; Rivas, R.; García-Fraile, P. Abstract: Pseudomonas is a large and diverse genus broadly distributed in nature. Its species play Phylogenomic Analyses of the Genus relevant roles in the biology of earth and living beings. Because of its ubiquity, the number of new Pseudomonas Lead to the species is continuously increasing although its taxonomic organization remains quite difficult to Rearrangement of Several Species and unravel.
    [Show full text]
  • Arthrobacter Pokkalii Sp Nov, a Novel Plant Associated Actinobacterium with Plant Beneficial Properties, Isolated from Saline Tolerant Pokkali Rice, Kerala, India
    RESEARCH ARTICLE Arthrobacter pokkalii sp nov, a Novel Plant Associated Actinobacterium with Plant Beneficial Properties, Isolated from Saline Tolerant Pokkali Rice, Kerala, India Ramya Krishnan1¤, Rahul Ravikumar Menon1, Naoto Tanaka2, Hans-Jürgen Busse3, Srinivasan Krishnamurthi4, Natarajan Rameshkumar1¤* 1 Biotechnology Department, National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR), Thiruvananthapuram, 695 019, Kerala, India, 2 NODAI Culture Collection Center, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya, Tokyo, 156–8502, Japan, 3 Institute of Microbiology, Veterinary University Vienna, A-1210, Vienna, Austria, 4 Microbial Type Culture Collection & Gene Bank (MTCC), CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Sec-39A, Chandigarh, 160036, India ¤ Current address: Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi, 110 001, India * [email protected] OPEN ACCESS Citation: Krishnan R, Menon RR, Tanaka N, Busse Abstract H-J, Krishnamurthi S, Rameshkumar N (2016) Arthrobacter pokkalii sp nov, a Novel Plant A novel yellow colony-forming bacterium, strain P3B162T was isolated from the pokkali rice Associated Actinobacterium with Plant Beneficial rhizosphere from Kerala, India, as part of a project study aimed at isolating plant growth Properties, Isolated from Saline Tolerant Pokkali Rice, Kerala, India. PLoS ONE 11(3): e0150322. beneficial rhizobacteria from saline tolerant pokkali rice and functionally evaluate their abili- doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0150322 ties to promote plant growth
    [Show full text]