Nitrogen fixation in Populus: Identification and localization of the key diazotrophs in planta
EMSL Project ID
48994
Abstract
Poplar (Populus) trees are an early successional pioneer plant species able to colonize nutrient-limited, cobble-dominated riparian zones. Native poplar has a diverse microbiota including strains that can fix dinitrogen gas, solubilize phosphate, and produce plant hormones, siderophores, and antifungal compounds. These endophytes promote plant growth and health under abiotic stresses including nutrient limitation and drought, potentially providing an important environmentally-sustainable method for increasing biomass production. Our lab demonstrated using the 15N2 incorporation assay that N2 is fixed at high levels in wild poplar. In order to optimize an inoculum of endophyte strains for bioenergy biomass plantations, we propose to use the strengths of the EMSL and JGI to identify and characterize the key diazotrophic strains from wild poplar. Only through combining the technologies at EMSL including fluorescent microscopy, cell sorting, and Nano-SIMS, can the cells most actively fixing N2 in planta be located and identified. Combined with information gained from full genomic sequencing of these key strains by the JGI, the most important endophytes can be cultured for further analysis. An understanding of the microbiota necessary for N2 fixation within non-legumes can lead to a reduced dependency on N-fertilizer applications, improving the economic and environmental sustainability of bioenergy plantations.
Project Details
Project type
FICUS Research
Start Date
2015-10-01
End Date
2017-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)