Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Production of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) Fungal Inoculum and Phenotypic Evaluation of Rice and AM Symbiosis Under Saline Conditions
Published on: March 14, 2025
Metabolic activity and population dynamics of rhizobia introduced into unamended and bentonite-amended loamy sand
C E Heijnen1, S L Burgers, J A Veen
1Institute for Soil Fertility Research (IB-DLO), P.O. Box 48, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Respiration measurements showed that the cumulative amount of CO(2) respired by rhizobia introduced into sterile bentonite-amended loamy sand was significantly higher than it was in unamended loamy sand. The maintenance respiration of rhizobial cells was not influenced by the presence of bentonite clay. Carbon was used more efficiently during growth in bentonite-amended than in unamended loamy sand. The presence of bentonite clay increased the growth rate of rhizobia introduced into sterile soil. Survival studies performed in nonsterile bentonite-amended loamy sand showed that the use of high (10 cells per g of dry soil) rather than lower (10 to 10 cells per g of dry soil) inoculum densities increased the final survival levels of introduced rhizobia. In unamended loamy sand, the application of 10 or 10 cells per g of dry soil resulted in similar final survival levels. Pore shape and the continuity of the water-filled pore system were suggested to largely determine the colonization rate of protective microhabitats.
More Related Videos
10:31Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments
Published on: July 24, 2018
20:01Single-plant, Sterile Microcosms for Nodulation and Growth of the Legume Plant Medicago truncatula with the Rhizobial Symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti
Published on: October 1, 2013
Related Concept Videos
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
Microbes and the Nitrogen Cycle
Microbe-Plant Interactions
Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this nitrogen...
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs
Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation