Respuesta del simbiosistema frijol (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) y Rhizobium tropici CIAT899 ante el efecto alelopático de Ipomoea purpurea L. Roth / Responses of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and Rhizobium tropici CIAT899 symbiosystem to induced allelopathy by Ipomoea purpurea L. Roth

La alelopatía es un fenómeno que involucra la producción de metabolitos secundarios que influyen en el crecimiento de las plantas, pero este potencial alelopático ha sido poco estudiado en la simbiosis rizobio-leguminosa. Esta investigación tuvo los siguientes objetivos: 1) evaluar el potencial alelopático de lixiviados acuosos de Ipomoea purpurea L. Roth en la germinación de semillas y en el crecimiento radical de plántulas de frijol (Phaseolus vulgaris L.); 2) determinar el efecto de estos lixiviados en el crecimiento in vitro de Rhizobium tropici CIAT899, y 3) evaluar el potencial alelopático de I. purpurea en el crecimiento, la fisiología y la nodulación de frijol en simbiosis con R. tropici. Tanto el lixiviado acuoso de raíz como el de la parte aérea de I. purpurea estimularon la germinación de semillas de frijol y la elongación radical. El crecimiento in vitro de R. tropici fue inhibido al aplicar los 2 tipos de lixiviado. La presencia de I. purpurea tuvo un efecto negativo en el crecimiento y en las respuestas fisiológicas de las plantas de frijol, que fue atenuado cuando las plantas fueron inoculadas con Rhizobium tropici; no obstante, la nodulación asociada a esta bacteria fue afectada en presencia de la planta alelopática. Los resultados indican que la simbiosis de rizobios en las raíces de frijol es un elemento importante en la atenuación de los danos producidos por la planta alelopática I. purpurea.

Allelopathy is a phenomenon that involves the production of secondary metabolites that influence the growth of plants and microorganisms; however, this alellopathic effect has been scarcely studied on the rhizobia-legume symbiosis. The aims of this research were 1) to assess the allelopathic potential of aqueous extracts of Ipomoea purpurea L. Roth on seed germination and root length of common bean seedlings (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), 2) to determine its effects on the in vitro growth of Rhizobium tropici CIAT899, and 3) to evaluate the allelopathic potential of I. purpurea on the growth, nodulation and physiology of common bean plants inoculated with R. tropici. After 48 h, 15% of the aqueous root extract of I. purpurea stimulated seed germination, whereas 4% of the aqueous shoot extracts stimulated such germination. Both the root or shoot extracts stimulated seed germination and e root length. In vitro growth of R. tropici was inhibited as a result of the application of both aqueous extracts. The presence of I. purpurea negatively affected both the growth and physiological responses of common bean plants, and this effect was attenuated after the inoculation of R. tropici; nevertheless, this allelopathic plant affected root nodulation. Our results suggest that the symbiosis of rhizobia and roots of common bean plants is an important element for attenuating the negative effects caused by the allelopathic plant.

Initial pH of medium affects organic acids production but do not affect phosphate solubilization

The pH of the culture medium directly influences the growth of microorganisms and the chemical processes that they perform. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of the initial pH of the culture medium on the production of 11 low-molecular-weight organic acids and on the solubilization of calcium phosphate by bacteria in growth medium (NBRIP). The following strains isolated from cowpea nodules were studied: UFLA03-08 (Rhizobium tropici), UFLA03-09 (Acinetobacter sp.), UFLA03-10 (Paenibacillus kribbensis), UFLA03-106 (Paenibacillus kribbensis) and UFLA03-116 (Paenibacillus sp.). The strains UFLA03-08, UFLA03-09, UFLA03-10 and UFLA03-106 solubilized Ca3(PO4)2 in liquid medium regardless of the initial pH, although without a significant difference between the treatments. The production of organic acids by these strains was assessed for all of the initial pH values investigated, and differences between the treatments were observed. Strains UFLA03-09 and UFLA03-10 produced the same acids at different initial pH values in the culture medium. There was no correlation between phosphorus solubilized from Ca3(PO4)2 in NBRIP liquid medium and the concentration of total organic acids at the different initial pH values. Therefore, the initial pH of the culture medium influences the production of organic acids by the strains UFLA03-08, UFLA03-09, UFLA03-10 and UFLA03-106 but it does not affect calcium phosphate solubilization.