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Title: Bacterial Inoculants Affecting Nickel Uptake by Alyssum murale From Low, Moderate and High Ni Soils

Author
item ABOU-SHANAB, R A - UNIV OF MD, COLLEGE PARK
item ANGLE, J - UNIV OF GEORGIA, ATHENS
item CHANEY, RUFUS

Submitted to: Soil Biology and Biochemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/26/2006
Publication Date: 5/24/2006
Citation: Abou-Shanab, R.I., Angle, J.S., Chaney, R.L. 2006. Bacterial Inoculants Affecting Nickel Uptake by Alyssum murale From Low, Moderate and High Ni Soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 38:2882-2889.

Interpretive Summary: Our previous research had identified rhizobacteria which caused increased concentration of Ni in the shoots of Alyssum murale grown on Ni-rich serpentine soil when the seedling roots were inoculated with the bacteria at transplanting. This caused significantly higher annual Ni accumulation in plant shoots which could increase the value of this phytomining crop. The present tests were undertaken with nine selected strains of rhizosphere bacteria which caused increased shoot Ni concentration to see if inoculating the soil caused any change in soluble Ni or other elements. Three soils with low, medium and high Ni concentrations (Beltsville, MD, area control soil; Baltimore serpentine soils; Oregon serpentine soil) were tested. Although one strain had no affect on soil Ni solubility, eight other strains significantly increased soil solution Ni in the Ni rich soils. Growing Alyssum murale on the inoculated soils confirmed that the inoculation caused higher Ni concentration, but did not affect yield of the plants. These results show that bacteria are important for Ni hyperaccumulation and could potentially be developed as an inoculum for enhancing uptake during commercial phytoremediation or phytomining of Ni (Patent has been applied for).

Technical Abstract: Metal hyperaccumulator plants like Alyssum murale have a remarkable ability to hyperaccumulate Ni from soils containing mostly insoluble Ni. We have shown some rhizobacteria increase the phytoavailability of Ni in soils, thus enhancing Ni accumulation by A. murale. Nine bacterial strains, originally isolated from the rhizosphere of A. murale grown in serpentine Ni-rich soil, were examined for their ability to solubilize Ni in different soils and for their effect on Ni uptake into Alyssum. Microbacterium oxydans AY509223; Rhizobium galegae AY509213; Microbacterium oxydans AY509219; Clavibacter xyli AY509236; Acidovorax avenae AY512827; Microbacterium arabinogalactanolyticum AY509225; M. oxydans AY509222; M. arabinogalactanolyticum AY509226 and M. oxydans AY509221 were added to low, moderate and high Ni-contaminated soils. M. oxydans AY509223 significantly increased Ni extraction by 10 mM Sr(NO3)2 from the high and medium soils and had no effect on Ni extraction from the low Ni soils. The other eight bacterial isolates significantly increased Ni extraction from all soils. There were no significant effects of bacterial inoculation on fresh and dry weight of A . murale shoots grown in the low and high Ni soils compared to an unamended control. M. oxydans AY509223 significantly increased Ni uptake of A. murale grown in the low, medium, and high soils by 36.1%, 39.3%, and 27.7%, respectively, compared with uninoculated seeds. M. oxydans AY509223 increased foliar Ni from the same soils from 82.9, 261.3 and 2829.3 mg/kg to 129.7, 430.7, and 3914.3 mg/kg, respectively, compared with uninoculated controls. These results show that bacteria are important for Ni hyperaccumulation and could potentially be developed as an inoculum for enhancing uptake during commercial phytoremediation or phytomining of Ni.