Researchers Bacteria can protect plants

Bacterial molecules protect crops
Molecules of different types of bacteria can decisively strengthen the immune defense of crops and reduce the infection rate even with high pest pressure. This was the result of a two-year study at the University of Giessen, where scientists studied the immune response and physiological changes of various crops after treatment with so-called quorum sensing (QS) molecules from bacteria.

In the vessel experiments, the scientists treated wheat, barley, tomato and alfalfa plants with different types of QS molecules and subsequently infected them with plant-specific pathogens. For all crops studied, certain types of QS molecules resulted in significantly lower infection rates. The scientists were also able to detect for the first time concrete physiological changes that are triggered by the molecules and are probably responsible for the increased resistance of the plants.

Bacteria as a crop protection. Image: Dr_Kateryna - fotolia

Thus treated wheat and barley plants produced significantly more hydrogen peroxide in the stomata than the untreated controls and had additional cell wall deposits. These changes make it much harder for bacterial and fungal pathogens to infect a plant and spread further. In addition, the QS molecules in the plants activated numerous genes that play an important role in the immune system. According to the scientists, the results show that bacterial QS molecules have great potential for crop protection.
In addition to the plant-strengthening effect, the molecules have another advantage that was already known from previous studies and also confirmed in the Giessen project: Treated plants produce more biomass and thus potentially higher yields. Especially the combination effect of increased resistance to pathogens and higher yield potential is very interesting for certain agronomic applications. However, further studies are needed to optimize the application and to confirm the effect observed in the greenhouse even in field trials. There is currently no approval for the use of bacterial molecules in crop protection.

The project was funded by the Federal Program Organic Farming and other forms of sustainable agriculture (BÖLN). (Aid)