The Effect of Pseudomonas, Piriformospora indica and Laccaria bicolor on the Growth of Gossypium hirsutum

Overview

Phenotype Screening Corp. It has been shown in the literature that certain species of mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria can stimulate hormone production in food-bearing crops resulting in enhanced growth and yields. This study is the first to evaluate a unique combination of bacteria and fungi developed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory on the growth of cotton plants. The results indicated that the inoculated plants went through three stages of growth. In the first stage, the microbes were dormant, and the two populations grew at the same rate. In the second stage, the microbes grew at the expense of the plants as they competed for nutrients. In the final stage, hormones produced by the microbes accelerated the growth of the inoculated plants. The inoculated population had 350% more lateral roots than the control population. They also had a higher density of roots deeper in the growing medium. The more significant number of lateral roots and gravitropism are both key indicators of high levels of auxin in the roots, which could only come from P. fluroscens and L. bicolor. The increased flowering observed in the inoculated plants is an indication of the presence of gibberellin produced by the P. indica. The increased flowering resulting from the increased hormones led to a 14% increase in yield, the highest ever reported for cotton.

Competition history

JSHS 2020 Category not listed

Resources

National JSHS abstract book

Related projects

ISEF · 2020