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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Pullman, Washington » Northwest Sustainable Agroecosystems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #114361
Title: MICROBIAL COLONIZATION OF WILD OAT (AVENA FATUA L.) SEEDS UNDER CONTROLLED SOIL CONDITIONS

Author
item Johnson, Teresa
item Kennedy, Ann
item Frohne, Pamela
item FUERST, EUGENE - WASHINGTON STATE UNIV
item GALLANDT, ERIC - UNIVERSITY OF MAINE

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/5/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The development of seed community structure was investigated in wild oat (Avena fatua L.) seeds through fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis. Seeds were embedded in water agar and then incubated in soils treated to substantially alter the microbial communities (e.g. antibiotics, fungicides, autoclaving). The resulting microbial communities on the seed, ,agar, spermosphere, and bulk soil were evaluated. The treatments had a profound effect on the structure of the microbial communities over a period of four weeks, with clear differentiation between treatments. In autoclaved soil, the agar surrounding surface sterilized seeds did not develop the highly differentiated microbial community that developed in other treatments. Autoclaved soil and non-sterilized seeds resulted in seed communities migrating away from the seed and colonizing the agar, spermosphere, and bulk soil, while in other treatments soil organisms migrated into the agar and colonized the seed. The results of this study will add to the understanding of microbial colonization of weed seeds and assist in the creation of biological control mechanisms aimed at controlling weed populations in a variety of cropping systems.