Succession of bacterial communities during early plant development: transition from seed to root and effect of compost amendment.

ABSTRACT: Compost amendments to soils and potting mixes are routinely applied to improve soil fertility and plant growth and health. These amendments, which contain high levels of organic matter and microbial cells, can influence microbial communities associated with plants grown in such soils. The purpose of this study was to follow the bacterial community compositions of seed and subsequent root surfaces in the presence and absence of compost in the potting mix. The bacterial community compositions of potting mixes, seed, and root surfaces sampled at three stages of plant growth were analyzed via general and newly developed Bacteroidetes-specific, PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis methodologies. These analyses revealed that seed surfaces were colonized primarily by populations detected i

SUBMITTER: Green SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1489615 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature