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Root Colonization By Pseudomonas Putida: The Role Of Catalase And Superoxide Dismutase Isozymes, Tawnya Lynn Bowles

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The fluorescent soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida is an aggressive root colonizer (1) that offers benefits to the host plant by suppressing soilborne pathogens and enhancing plant growth (12,13). Upon introduction in the field through seed inoculation, certain isolates of P. putida have the potential to act as an effective biological control agent (3). P. putida has also been shown to promote the growth of potatoes, sugarbeets, and radishes (13). Fluorescent pseudomonads are effective in protecting plants against pathogens such as Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici, a fungus that causes the root disease of wheat called take-all (13).