Can Beneficial Bacteria Drought-Proof Plants

This week we look at how probiotics (microbes/ beneficial bacteria) could drought-proof plants and naturally provide nutrients to them to withstand drought conditions. Probiotics make it easier and more environmentally friendly to grow grain and vegetable crops, fruit and nut trees, and also keep golf courses looking lush and green without using excess amounts of water and chemical fertilizer. In a study, researchers confirmed “Plants are overall greener and healthier if they have these microbes,”

A dose of microbes can let plants better withstand drought conditions by growing more leaves and roots and using less water, research shows.

With California in its fifth year of severe drought and many western states experiencing another year of unusually dry conditions, plants are stressed. Agricultural crops, grasses, and garden plants can all get sick and die when factors such as drought and excess sun force them to work harder to survive.

“Plants are less stressed if they have these natural microbes,” says senior author Sharon Doty, professor of environmental and forest sciences at the University of Washington. “They will help plants deal with environmental challenges, especially with climate change.”

Naturally providing nutrients and boosting drought resistance could make it easier and more environmentally friendly to grow grain and vegetable crops, fruit and nut trees, and even keep golf courses looking lush and green without using excess amounts of water and chemical fertilizer.

“I think this knowledge can be used to develop strategies to face the challenges of climate change,” says lead author Zareen Khan, a research scientist in environmental and forest sciences.

Thirsty poplars

In the study, the researchers looked at the ability of young poplar trees to tolerate drought conditions over a month-long period, with and without the help of added microbes, called endophytes, bacteria that live inside a plant without causing disease.

Researchers inoculated the young poplar cuttings with a cocktail of microbes isolated from wild poplar and willow trees growing in unfavorable conditions. They poured the mixture at the base of the stems of 10 poplars, while the other 10 cuttings did not receive any microbes. After a short growth period in a greenhouse, all 20 plants were subjected to drought conditions for a month.

It’s important to note that all of the poplars had microbes inside—they are naturally present in every living thing. But when the researchers added microbes from wild poplar and willow, they noticed a benefit to the plants.

Specifically, the poplars that were given the probiotics doubled their root biomass and experienced nearly 30 percent more leaf and stem growth than poplars without the added microbes. When exposed to drought conditions, the poplars with microbes also stayed green with robust leaves and stems, while their counterparts browned and wilted.
“Plants are overall greener and healthier if they have these microbes,” Doty says.

Biofuels and crops

The researchers chose poplar trees to demonstrate this beneficial relationship because the fast-growing trees are important for biofuels, or plant-based renewable energy.

“One of the limitations of biofuel is large-scale production,” Khan says. “If we can reduce water usage on poplar-tree plantations by adding naturally occurring endophytes, then that could provide huge economic and environmental benefits.”

Microbes also help crop plants such as tomatoes, corn, and peppers be more tolerant of drought. The researchers are collaborating with an engineering company, Intrinsyx Technologies, to show this same beneficial relationship between microbes and agricultural plants, with crops given the beneficial microbes yielding more vegetables and responding better in dry, hot weather.

“Having microbes that can help plants establish early, grow fast and protect them from some of the stresses in their environment, especially drought, is a big deal,” says John Freeman, chief science officer at Intrinsyx who works with Doty’s team. “Using these endophytes in agricultural settings holds a lot of promise for growers and farmers.”

Why the microbes help?

The researchers suspect a number of factors are at work. Microbes enable plants to accumulate more nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. The microbes also help plants use water more efficiently, and even produce molecules that promote plant growth and help them stay green.

Gaining more root, stem, and leaf mass also makes plants able to store more water.
“Endophytes are helping plants make more roots, so they have more surface area to hang onto water and survive the stress of drought longer,” Khan says.

The content on this page was taken from http://www.futurity.org/microbes-plants-drought-1251782-2/
 

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Pro-Soil contains multiple classes of beneficial bacteria that are grown together, at body temperature, to form a robust consortium of microbes that influence soils and plants in a regenerative direction. Additionally, Pro-Soil contains the natural beneficial by-products of these microbes’ growth cycle, including antioxidants, minerals and natural vitamins – the very same substances that bacteria produce in healthy soils.

 

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