With summer comes the stresses of heat, drought, nematodes, and increased foot traffic. Here are the top five articles that provide valuable insights into leveraging microbial interactions to enhance turfgrass health and resilience during the hot summer days.
Mechanisms of Environmental Stress Tolerance in Turfgrass
Summary
This review explores how turfgrass species adapt to various environmental stresses, including salinity, heat, cold, drought, waterlogging, and heavy metals, as well as biotic stresses like diseases and pests. Great read as a foundation for stressors.
What they did:
The authors reviewed physiological and molecular mechanisms of stress responses in turfgrass species, focusing on metabolism, gene expression, and growth/development changes under stress.
What they found:
Turfgrass species exhibit complex adaptive strategies to cope with environmental stresses, including increased enzyme activities, altered gene expression, and the production of stress-related metabolites.
Read more here: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/4/522.
Effects of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate-deaminase–Producing Bacteria on Perennial Ryegrass Growth and Physiological Responses to Salinity Stress
Summary:
This study examines how ACC-deaminase-producing bacteria influence perennial ryegrass growth and salinity tolerance.
What they did:
Researchers inoculated perennial ryegrass with ACC-deaminase-producing bacteria and then subjected the plants to salinity stress.
What they found:
The inoculated plants exhibited lower ACC content, improved turf quality, higher biomass, better leaf water content, and reduced electrolyte leakage under salinity stress, indicating enhanced salinity tolerance due to bacterial inoculation.
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Predominant Microbial Colonizers in the Root Endosphere and Rhizosphere of Turfgrass Systems
Summary:
This study identifies the key microbial species that colonize and predominate in the root endosphere (inside the roots) and rhizosphere (the soil region surrounding the roots) of various turfgrass species that enhance stress tolerance and nutrient uptake. They looked at bermudagrass, ultradwarf bermudagrass, creeping bentgrass, and tall fescue.
What they did:
The researchers examined bacterial and fungal communities across various turfgrass species and management practices at three golf courses located on the island of Martha's Vineyard (MA) and two research plots at Joseph Troll Research Center (South Deerfield, MA).
What they found:
The findings suggest that leveraging these beneficial microbial communities can reduce the reliance on synthetic chemicals and fertilizers, promoting more sustainable and environmentally friendly turfgrass management practices.
Read more here: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.643904/full.
Changes in Bacterial Community Structure and Enriched Functional Bacteria Associated With Turfgrass Monoculture
Summary:
This study examines how long-term turfgrass monoculture affects rhizosphere bacterial communities and identifies beneficial biocontrol agents.
What they did:
The researchers collected rhizosphere samples from Zoysia japonica turfgrass fields that had been under monoculture for 2, 13, and 25 years. Researchers assessed changes in bacterial community structure in turfgrass monoculture fields.
What they found:
Key bacterial strains like Streptomyces and Burkholderia enhance drought tolerance and pathogen suppression, which is crucial for maintaining turfgrass health.
Read more here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33520947/
Bermudagrass Cultivars with Different Tolerance to Nematode Damage Are Characterized by Distinct Fungal but Similar Bacterial and Archaeal Microbiomes
Summary:
This study explores the differences in microbial communities associated with two bermudagrass cultivars, 'Latitude 36' (nematode-tolerant) and 'TifTuf' (nematode-susceptible), to understand the potential role of microbiomes in conferring nematode tolerance.
What they did:
The researchers analyzed the microbial communities inhabiting the leaf endosphere, root endosphere, and soil of the two bermudagrass cultivars. They used 16S rRNA gene and ITS2 amplicon sequencing to characterize the bacterial, archaeal, and fungal communities, respectively. Additionally, they performed microbial cultivation efforts to identify potentially beneficial endophytic fungi and bacteria.
What they found:
The study revealed distinct differences in the fungal microbiomes between the two cultivars. 'Latitude 36' harbored unique fungal taxa from the phylum Ascomycota, while 'TifTuf' harbored taxa from Glomeromycota. However, the bacterial and archaeal microbiomes were similar between the cultivars. The distinct fungal microbiomes associated with the nematode-tolerant and nematode-susceptible cultivars suggest that fungi may play a crucial role in nematode tolerance to bermudagrass cultivars.
Read more here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8878055/
Conclusion to Summer and Microbials
These articles offer valuable insights into the intricate relationships between turfgrass and microbial communities. With the increasing use of microbes as an alternative or supplement to common synthetic solutions, more information is being published. These studies provide practical solutions to common summer challenges, such as enhancing heat tolerance, combating salt stress, and understanding the turfgrass phytobiome.
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