Label-free functional analysis of root-associated microbes with dynamic quantitative oblique back-illumination microscopy.

ABSTRACT: The increasing global demand for food, coupled with concerns about the environmental impact of synthetic fertilizers, underscores the urgency of developing sustainable agricultural practices. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria, known as diazotrophs, offer a potential solution by converting atmospheric nitrogen into bioavailable forms, reducing the reliance on synthetic fertilizers. However, a deeper understanding of their interactions with plants and other microbes is needed. In this study, we introduce a recently developed label-free 3D quantitative phase imaging technology called dynamic quantitative oblique back-illumination microscopy (DqOBM) to assess the functional dynamic activity of diazotrophs in vitro and in situ. Our experiments involved three different diazotrophs (Sinorhizobium meliloti

SUBMITTER: Filan C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10925023 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature