Bacteria in Agrobiology: Crop Ecosystems . Dinesh K. Maheshwari Editor Bacteria in Agrobiology: Crop Ecosystems Editor Prof.(Dr.) Dinesh K. Maheshwari Gurukul Kangri University Deptt. of Botany and Microbiology 249404 Haridwar (Uttarakhand) India [email protected] ISBN 978-3-642-18356-0 e-ISBN 978-3-642-18357-7 DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-18357-7 Springer Heidelberg Dordrecht London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2011926231 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Violations are liable to prosecution under the German Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Cover illustration: Optical micrograph showing cross sections of intercellular colonization rice calli and regenerated plantlets by A. caulinodans: CS view of root uninoculated control; magnified cross section view of leaf colonized by A. caulinodans in regenerated rice plant; possible sites of infection and colonization of rice root (from left to right); see also Fig. 3.1 in “Endophytic Bacteria – Perspectives and Applications in Agricultural Crop Production”, Senthilkumar M, R. Anandham, M. Madhaiyan, V. Venkateswaran, Tong Min Sa, in “Bacteria in Agrobiology: Crop Ecosystems, Dinesh K. Maheshwari (Ed.)” Background: Positive immunofluorescence micrograph showing reaction between cells of the rhizobial biofertilizer strain E11 and specific anti-E11 antiserum prepared for autecological biogeography studies; see also Fig. 10.6 in “Beneficial Endophytic Rhizobia as Biofertilizer Inoculants for Rice and the Spatial Ecology of this Bacteria-Plant Association”, Youssef Garas Yanni, Frank B. Dazzo, Mohamed I. Zidan. in “Bacteria in Agrobiology: Crop Ecosystems, Dinesh K. Maheshwari (Ed.)” Cover design: deblik, Berlin Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Preface Bacteria are among the most adaptable organisms. Their evolutional passage across the long timescale, extremely short generation time, and aptitude to adapt to diverse and often hostile environments, combined with the remarkable power of natural selection have made these microorganisms the most resilient of life forms on this planet. As such, bacteria and fungi abound in the soil are the essential contributors in maintaining the ecological balance. One of the most remarkable developments of the twentieth century vis-a`-vis microorganisms is the discovery of the plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) that offers a vast array of beneficial attributes to plants, and thereby facilitating enhancement of crop productivity in a sustainable manner. More than 97% of our food requirements are realized from terrestrial ecosystems through agricultural productivity. Diversified populations of bacterial species occur in agricultural fields and contribute to crop productivity directly or indirectly. Plants provide a substan- tial ecological niche for microorganisms and below ground (roots) portions of plants and soil are constantly associated with a larger number of microorganisms reaping several benefits from such associations. This volume is accordingly con- ceived to provide consolidated information on the subject. The book entitled Bacteria in Agrobiology: Crop Ecosystems has chapters that cover studies on various aspects of bacteria–plant interactions. Better understand- ings of the challenges in development of PGPB as efficient commercial bioinocu- lant have met in enhancing crop production. A large number of bacterial genera interplay with rhizosphere communities in different crops ecosystems, in particular, the oil-yielding crops, cereals, fruits and vegetables, forest trees, etc. Keeping in fitness with such important crops, the developmental challenges faced in the management of growth and soil and seed borne diseases associated with food crops such as rice, sesame, peanut, along with horticultural, sericultural plant ecosystems as well as in forestry are aptly covered in this volume. Detection of PGPR and biocontrol of postharvest pathogens as suitable alternatives to agro- chemicals for sustainable crop production and protection, and restoration of de- graded soils has also been duly addressed. I believe that this book will be useful not v vi Preface only for researchers, teachers, and students, but also for those who are interested in the subjects of applied microbiology, plant protection, ecology, environmental science, and agronomy. I would like to express my gratitude to all the authors for their scholarly contributions. I recognize with credit the continuous support that I received from my research students Mr. Abhinav Aeron, Mr. Rajat Khillon, Mr. Pankaj Kumar, and Dr. Sandeep Kumar in the preparation of this volume. I am also thankful to Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi; and Director, Uttarakhand Council of Science and Technology (UCOST), Dehradun, India for their support in implementation of my research projects on PGPB that served as a prolog to arrange base for compilation of this book. I extend my earnest apprecia- tion to Dr. Jutta Lindenborn of Springer for her valuable support to facilitate completion of the task. Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India Dinesh K. Maheshwari Contents 1 Emerging Role of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria in Agrobiology ............................................................. 1 Abhinav Aeron, Sandeep Kumar, Piyush Pandey, and D.K. Maheshwari 2 Bacillus as PGPR in Crop Ecosystem .................................. 37 Ankit Kumar, Anil Prakash, and B.N. Johri 3 Endophytic Bacteria: Perspectives and Applications in Agricultural Crop Production ....................................... 61 M. Senthilkumar, R. Anandham, M. Madhaiyan V. Venkateswaran, and Tongmin Sa 4 PGPR Interplay with Rhizosphere Communities and Effect on Plant Growth and Health ............................................ 97 Gabriele Berg and Christin Zachow 5 Impact of Spatial Heterogeneity within Spermosphere and Rhizosphere Environments on Performance of Bacterial Biological Control Agents .............................................. 111 Daniel P. Roberts and Donald Y. Kobayashi 6 Biocontrol Mechanisms Employed by PGPR and Strategies of Microbial Antagonists in Disease Control on the Postharvest Environment of Fruits .................................................. 131 Anjani M. Karunaratne 7 Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria Associated with Sugarcane ..... 165 Samina Mehnaz vii viii Contents 8 Use of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria in Horticultural Crops .................................................. 189 Ahmet Esitken 9 Commercial Potential of Microbial Inoculants for Sheath Blight Management and Yield Enhancement of Rice ........................ 237 K. Vijay Krishna Kumar, M.S. Reddy, J.W. Kloepper, K.S. Lawrence X.G. Zhou, D.E. Groth, S. Zhang, R. Sudhakara Rao, Qi Wang M.R.B. Raju, S. Krishnam Raju, W.G. Dilantha Fernando, H. Sudini B. Du, and M.E. Miller 10 Beneficial Endophytic Rhizobia as Biofertilizer Inoculants for Rice and the Spatial Ecology of This Bacteria–Plant Association ............................................................... 265 Y.G. Yanni, F.B. Dazzo, and M.I. Zidan 11 Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria: Fundamentals and Exploitation ........................................................ 295 Clara Pliego, Faina Kamilova, and Ben Lugtenberg 12 PGPR in Coniferous Trees ............................................. 345 Elke Jurandy Bran Nogueira Cardoso, Rafael Leandro de Figueiredo Vasconcellos, Carlos Marcelo Ribeiro, and Marina Yumi Horta Miyauchi 13 Perspectives of PGPR in Agri-Ecosystems ............................ 361 Meenu Saraf, Shalini Rajkumar, and Tithi Saha 14 Ecofriendly Management of Charcoal Rot and Fusarium Wilt Diseases in Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) ...................... 387 Sandeep Kumar, Abhinav Aeron, Piyush Pandey, and Dinesh Kumar Maheshwari 15 Crop Health Improvement with Groundnut Associated Bacteria .. 407 Swarnalee Dutta, Manjeet Kaur, and Appa Rao Podile Index .......................................................................... 431 Contributors Abhinav Aeron Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar 249404, Uttarakhand, India, abhinavaeron@ gmail.com Rangasamy Anandham Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Madurai 625104, Tamil Nadu, India, [email protected] Gabriele Berg Environmental Biotechnology, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 12, 8010 Graz, Austria, [email protected] Elke Jurandy Bran Nogueira Cardoso Soil Microbiology Laboratory, Depart- ment of Soil Science, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, Sa˜o Paulo State University, Piracicaba Sa˜o Paulo, Brazil, [email protected] Frank B. Dazzo Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics,