Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine if populations of indigenous bacterial endophytes in seed, stem and root tissue of cotton seedlings are influenced by host genotype. Growth chamber and field experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that host genotype has an effect on endophytic bacterial populations in seed tissues and the developing cotton seedling. Initially, population densities of bacteria within seed of nine cotton cultivars were very low (i.e., <log10 2.0 colony forming units seed−1). However, after 4 days growth on water agar, population densities within developing radicles increased significantly (log10 2–5 colony forming units) and significant cultivar differences were found. Significant cultivar differences occurred for populations of endophytic bacteria and the composition of bacterial functional groups differed among cultivars in field-grown seedlings at 5, 8, and 15 days after planting. Differences in the ranking of cultivars occurred for endophytic populations recovered from seed and aseptically and field-grown radicle and seedling tissues. These results suggest that whether originating from seed or from soil, cotton plants are capable of immediately establishing a carrying capacity for communities of endophytic bacteria following seed germination. During germination and development of the seedling, there are genetic and possible morphological/physiological effects that contribute to significant differences in colonization of bacterial endophytes among cotton cultivars.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baker K F and Cook R J. 1974. Biological Control of Plant Pathogens. (1st ed.) WH Freeman, San Francisco. Reprinted ed., 1982. Am. Phytopathol. Soc., St. Paul, MN. 4133 pp.
Baker K F and Snyder W C (eds.) 1965 Ecology of Soil-Borne Plant Pathogens. Prelude to Biological Control. Univ. Calif. Press, Berkeley, 571 pp.
Bell A A 1995 Personal communication.
Bird L S, Liverman C, Lazo G R, Thaxton P, Percy R G and Benedict J H 1981 Do plants have genetic systems controlling selective colonization of tissues by symbiotic organisms which function in mechanisms of resistance to adversities? In Ed. JM Brown. pp. 34–36. Proceedings of Beltwide Cotton Production Research Conferences. National Cotton Council of America, Memphis, TN.
Bowman D T, Van Esbroeck, G A, Van't Hof J and Jividen G M 2001 Ovule fiber cell numbers in modern upland cottons. J. Cotton Sci. 5, 81–83.
Bush D L 1979 Variation in root-leachate and rhizosphererhizoplane microflora among cultivars representing differing levels of multi-adversity resistance in cotton. Ph.D. dissertation. Texas A&M University. College Station, TX. 187 pp.
Gagné S, Richard H, Rouseau H and Antoun H 1987 Xylemresiding bacteria in alfalfa roots. Can. J. Microbiol. 33, 996–1000.
Glass K M and Bransby D I 1995 1994 Alabama cotton variety report: A report of the performance of cotton varieties tested in Alabama. Agronomy and Soils Dept. Series No. 184. Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station.
Gould W D, Hagedorn C, Bardinelli T R and Zablotowicz R M 1985 New selective media for enumeration and recovery of fluorescent pseudomonads from various habitats Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 49(1), 28–32.
Hallmann J, Quadt-Hallmann A, Mahaffee W F and Kloepper J W 1997 Bacterial endophytes in agricultural crops. Can. J. Microbiol. 43, 895–914.
Herron P R and Wellington M H 1990 New method for extraction of streptomycete spores from soil and application to the study of lysogeny in sterile amended and nonsterile soil. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 56(5), 1406–1412.
Kloepper J W and Beauchamp C J 1992 A review of issues related to measuring colonization of plant roots by bacteria. Can. J. Microbiol. 38, 1219–1232.
Lingappa Y and Lockwood J L 1962 Chitin media for selective isolation and culture of actinomycetes. Phytopathology 52, 317–323.
McInroy J A 1993 Endophytic bacteria of sweet corn and cotton. M.S. Thesis. Auburn University. 189
McInroy J A and Kloepper J W 1994 Studies on indigenous endophytic bacteria of sweet corn and cotton. In Electron Microscopy of Plant Cells. pp. 219–255. Eds. JL Hall and C Hawes. Academic Press, London.
McInroy J A, Qi W, Mahaffee W M, Lu 5, Mei R and Kloepper J W 1997 Comparative evaluation of endophytic bacteria from Chinese and U.S. cotton cultivars. In Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria. Sapporo, Japan. pp. 228–231.
Misaghi I J and Donndelinger C R 1990 Endophytic bacteria in symptom-free cotton plants. Phytopathology 80, 808–811.
Musson G, McInroy J A and Kloepper J W 1995 Development of delivery systems for introducing endophytic bacteria into cotton. Biocon. Sci. Tech. 5, 407–416.
Neal J L, Larson R I and Atkinson T G 1973 Changes in rhizosphere populations of selected physiological groups of bacteria related to substitution of specific pairs of chromosomes in spring wheat. Plant Soil 39, 209–212.
Shishido M, Loeb B M and Chanway C P 1995 External and internal root colonization of lodgepole pine seedlings by two growth-promoting Bacillus strains originated from different root microsites. Can. J. Microbiol. 41, 707–713.
Siciliano S D, Theoret C M and de Freitas J R 1998 Differences in the microbial communities associated with roots of new cultivars of canola and wheat. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 26, 43–50.
Tsai A H Y and Bird L S 1975 Microbiology of host-pathogen interactions for resistance to seedling disease and multi-adversity resistance in cotton. In Proceedings of Beltwide Cotton Production Research Conference. pp. 39–45. Cotton District Council of America, Memphis, TN.
Xiao Q P. Yan W and Fengxin Z 1990 Isolation of pseudomonads from cotton plants and their effect on seedling diseases. Acta Phytophylacica Sinica 17, 303–306.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Adams, P.D., Kloepper, J.W. Effect of host genotype on indigenous bacterial endophytes of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Plant and Soil 240, 181–189 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015840224564
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015840224564