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An Investigation Of Plant-Microbe Interactions Under Cadmium Stress In Agar-Based Medium, Hydroponics, And Soil Studies, Melanie P. Columbus

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis investigated plant-microbe-metal interactions at two scales: a single plant-microbe system and an agricultural rhizobacterial community. The first objective was to investigate the effectiveness of a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) on mediating cadmium stress in a plant model system. Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0 was inoculated with Pseudomonas putida UW4, which in its wild type form has been reported to reduce plant stress by simultaneously metabolizing the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) with the enzyme ACC deaminase and stimulating plant growth through the production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). A mutant strain that lacks ACC deaminase and a no bacteria treatment were used …