From Laboratory to Applications: Challenges and Progress with in vitro Dual Cultures of Potato and Beneficial Bacteria

Abstract

In natural habitats, free-living micro-organisms play an important role in plant growth, development and adaptation to extreme environments [1–4]. They form close associations with plant roots and colonize internal and external tissues [2–5]. Production of axenic plantlets under tissue culture conditions devoids plants of these natural allies. Combination of the culture conditions, high humidity and high sugar in particular, and lack of microbial elicitors triggering or enhancing certain metabolic pathways, make tissue culture transplants vulnerable to pathogens and other environmental stresses [6]. It is well documented that plantlets have reduced photosynthetic capacity [7], lower wax deposits [8], poorly functioning stomata [9,10], underdeveloped root system, and very few leaf and root hairs [6,10]. There is a great possibility that reintroduction of certain micro-organisms or their combinations to tissue culture propagules, bacteria and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza in particular, can be utilized in agricultural and horticultural practices for the purpose of transplants protection against diseases, improvement of establishment and overall performance ([3,4,6,7] and papers by A.C. Cassells and E. Wilhelm in this Proceedings).