Growth promotion and yield enhancement of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) by application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria.

Although plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have been reported to influence plant growth, yield and nutrient uptake by an array of mechanisms, the specific traits by which PGPR promote plant growth, yield and nutrient uptake were limited to the expression of one or more of the traits expressed at a given environment of plant-microbe interaction. We selected nine different isolates of PGPR from a pool of 233 rhizobacterial isolates obtained from the peanut rhizosphere on the basis of ACC-deaminase activity. The nine isolates were selected, initially, on the basis of germinating seed bioassay in which the root length of the seedling was enhanced significantly over the untreated control. All the nine isolates were identified as Pseudomonas spp. Four of these isolates, viz. PGPR1, PGPR2, PGPR4 and PGPR7 (all fluorescent pseudomonads), were the best in producing siderophore and indole acetic acid (IAA). In addition to IAA and siderophore-producing attributes, Pseudomonas fluorescens PGPR1 also possessed the characters like tri-calcium phosphate solubilization, ammonification and inhibited Aspergillus niger and A. flavus in vitro. P. fluorescens PGPR2 differed from PGPR1 in the sense that it did not show ammonification. In addition to the traits exhibited by PGPR1, PGPR4 showed strong in vitro inhibition to Sclerotium rolfsii. The performances of these selected plant growth-promoting rhizobacterial isolates were repeatedly evaluated for 3 years in pot and field trials. Seed inoculation of these three isolates, viz. PGPR1, PGPR2 and PGPR4, resulted in a significantly higher pod yield than the control, in pots, during rainy and post-rainy seasons. The contents of nitrogen and phosphorus in soil, shoot and kernel were also enhanced significantly in treatments inoculated with these rhizobacterial isolates in pots during both the seasons. In the field trials, however, there was wide variation in the performance of the PGPR isolates in enhancing the growth and yield of peanut in different years. Plant growth-promoting fluorescent pseudomonad isolates, viz. PGPR1, PGPR2 and PGPR4, significantly enhanced pod yield (23-26%, 24-28% and 18-24%, respectively), haulm yield and nodule dry weight over the control in 3 years. Other attributes like root length, pod number, 100-kernel mass, shelling out-turn and nodule number were also enhanced. Seed bacterization with plant growth-promoting P. fluorescens isolates, viz. PGPR1, PGPR2 and PGPR4, suppressed the soil-borne fungal diseases like collar rot of peanut caused by A. niger and PGPR4 also suppressed stem rot caused by S. rolfsii. Studies on the growth patterns of PGPR isolates utilizing the seed leachate as the sole source of C and N indicated that PGPR4 isolate was the best in utilizing the seed leachate of peanut, cultivar JL24. Studies on the rhizosphere competence of the PGPR isolates, evaluated on the basis of spontaneous rifampicin resistance, indicated that PGPR7 was the best rhizoplane colonizer and PGPR1 was the best rhizosphere colonizer. Although the presence of growth-promoting traits in vitro does not guarantee that an isolate will be plant growth promoting in nature, results suggested that besides ACC-deaminase activity of the PGPR isolates, expression of one or more of the traits like suppression of phytopathogens, solubilization of tri-calcium phosphate, production of siderophore and/or nodulation promotion might have contributed to the enhancement of growth, yield and nutrient uptake of peanut.

Use of a phosphorus-enriched dialysate in a hypercatabolic renal failure patient receiving intensive hemodialysis therapy.

An elderly man with end-stage renal disease required intensive hemodialysis therapy because of sepsis-induced hypercatabolism. We were able to prevent the occurrence of hypophosphatemia by using a phosphorus-enriched dialysate during hemodialysis treatments.

Serological diagnosis of infection with the putative bovine leukemia virus.

We report on an accurate, rapid and inexpensive test for the identification of animals infected with the Bovine C-type virus (BLV). The test involves the detection of serum antibodies to BLV using the immunofluorescent (IF) technique on acetone-fixed, infected cells. The specificity of the test was demonstrated by the fact that virus was found by electron microscopy in 90% of cattle showing positive reactions. In contrast, virus was not found despite extensive examination in antibody negative animals. Thus, the presence of IF antibody is an accurate indicator of current rather than past BLV infection. In order for the IF test to be specific it is of critical importance that the target cells used are infected only with BLV. BLV antibodies can also be detected by the immunoprecipitation (Ouchterlony) technique. However, a significant proportion of BLV infected animals showing positive reactions in the IF test failed to show precipitin antibodies to the virus. Likewise, BLV infection was demonstrated by both the IF test and electron microscopy in many animals with persistently normal levels of blood lymphocytes. Thus, neither the precipitin test nor the blood lymphocyte count (Bendixen's key) can be used to rule out BLV infection.

Further studies on the antigenic properties and distribution of the putative bovine leukemia virus.

The C-type viruses found in long-term cultures. New Bolton Center (NBC) cell lines, of peripheral lymphocytes from leukemic cattle and in short-term cultures of bovine buffy coat(BC) cells share an immunofluorescent(IF)antigen detected in the cytoplasm of infected cells as well as an antigen demonstrable in gel diffusion experiments. Therefore the viruses from these cultures most likely represent different isolates of the putative bovine leukemia virus (BLV). The BLV precipitin antigen is analogous to the group specific (gs) antigens of the leukemia viruses of other species in that it is soluble, ether resistant, and apparently located within the virion. These observations, together with results showing that the specificity of the BLV precipitin antigen differs from that of the gs antigen of other mammalian leukemia viruses, indicate that the former antigen represents the intraspecies (gs-1) determinant of BLV. Antibodies to the precipitin viral antigen were found in 82% of cattle with leukemia and in 40% of clinically normal adult cattle in multiple-case herds. These groups of animals also had fluorescent antibodies to the virus, but with significantly higher frequencies (100% and 76%, respectively). On the other hand, in leukemia-free herds, precipitating antibodies were not found and the incidence of fluorescent antibodies was only 3%.