Interrelação Bradyrhizobium - BPCP’s - caupi : avaliação da atividade enzimática e performance simbiótica

Abstract

It has been a recurrent the use of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) in association with the legume-rhizobia symbiotic system to increase the biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). Thus, the search for using alternative vehicles that increase quality and efficiency of inoculum leading to reduced costs and possible environmental impacts have been investigated. The BNF change in response to biological and environmental factors and their effectiveness can be measured by the concentrations of compounds involved in this process, being an important point to evaluate biochemical indicators related to the metabolisms of nitrogen, carbon and antioxidant. In this context, this study aimed at verifying the survival of cowpea to bacterial colonization and evaluating the interrelationship of Bradyrhizobium sp. and PGPB providing better symbiotic performance and cowpea development; optimizing the BNF and cowpea development, inoculated and co-inoculated with Bradyrhizobium sp. and PGPB, as well as evaluating the activities of enzymes as indicators of efficiency, senescence and stress/oxidative protection during and after the establishment of symbiosis; and determining the efficiency of inoculation and co-inoculation of cowpea with Bradyrhizobium sp. and PGPB using variables of growth and production and, jointly, characterizing the exopolysaccharide used as a vehicle for seed inoculation. Three experiments were conducted in greenhouse of the Agronomy Institute of Pernambuco (IPA). The legume used was cowpea cv. "IPA 206" inoculated with Bradyrhizobium sp. (BR 3267) and co-inoculated with different strains of PGPB. In the first experiment, the experimental design was randomized blocks with 24 treatments one inoculated (BR 3267), and 22 co-inoculated (BR 3267 + PGPB); and an absolute control (AC), with three replications. In the experiment II, the experimental design was randomized blocks with 2x4 factorial arrangement, two harvest periods (FP, flowering point; BS, beginning of senescence) and four treatments (inoculated and co-inoculated) + AC, with four repetitions. In the experiment III, the experimental design was a randomized block with 2x6 factorial arrangement, two harvest periods (FP, flowering point; GF, grain filling) and six treatments, one inoculated (BR 3267), and three co-inoculated (BR 3267 + PGPB), and two controls (AC and NC), with four replications. In the results was found synergism between BR 3267 and PGPB in cowpea especially in combination of BR 3267 with strains Paenibacillus graminis (MC 04.21) and P. durus (C 04.50), which exhibited better symbiotic response. Pre-selected strains of PGPB were combined with BR 3267, forming two symbiotic pairs (BR 3267 + MC 04.21; BR 3267 + C 04.50) and a tripartite (BR 3267 + MC 4.21 + C 04.50) where the results showed significant differences for growth variables as well as the biochemical indicators related to the metabolisms of nitrogen, carbon and antioxidative. There was increased concentration of total soluble proteins in nodules of plants co-inoculated compared to those inoculated in isolation with BR 3267. There was intense proteolytic activity and a decline in enzyme activity in the BS, but there was delayed of the deleterious effects of aging in the tripartite co-inoculation, allowing better symbiotic performance in cowpea plants. It can be suggested the use of inoculating compounds with bacteria studied aiming at improving the BNF and delaying senescence of nodules ensuring the availability of nitrogen for a longer period of time. This response emphasizes the importance of the combination and compatibility of microorganisms introduced, in combination, to promote a better symbiotic efficiency of cowpea, especially for tripartite co-inoculation, with respect to Rhizobium native to soil, and this synergistic response resulted in improved variables of production and efficiency of N2 fixation. With respect to chemical and rheological characteristics, the EPS used as vehicle for inoculation presents as a polyanionic heteropolysaccharide with low-viscosity fluid pseudoplastic, revealing an endothremal peak by the technique of differential scanning calorimetry that represents a favorable feature considering its use on industrial scale.