Bradyrhizobia and rhizobia are symbiotic bacterial partners forming nitrogen fixing nodules on legumes. These bacteria share characteristics with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Nodule inducing bacteria, like other PGPR, are capable of colonizing the roots of non-legumes and produce phytohormones, siderophores and HeN. They also exhibit antagonistic effects towards many plant pathogenic fungi. The potential of nodule inducing bacteria to function as PGPR, was examined by using radish as a model plant. Three percent of the 266 strains tested were found to be cyanogens, while a majority (83%) produced siderophores. Fifty eight percent of the strains produced indole 3-acetic acid (IAA) and 54% solubilized phosphorus. Some of the bacterial species examined were found to have a deleterious effect while others were neutral or displayed a stimulatory effect on radishes. Bradyrizobium japonicum strain Soy 213 was found to have the highest stimulatory effect (60%), and an arctic strain (N44) was the most deleterious, causing a 44% reduction in radish dry matter yield. A second plant inoculation test, performed in growth cabinets, revealed that only strain Tal 629 of B. japonicum significantly increased (15%) the dry matter yield of radish. This indicates that specific bradyrhizobia have the potential to be used as PGPR on non-legumes.

Root colonization by introduced bacteria is an important step in the interaction of beneficial bacteria with the host plant. Investigators attempting to measure root colonization by bacteria must face several issues. A clear concept or definition of root colonization should be stated in each research summary, as several different definitions have been proposed. We consider true root colonists to be those bacteria that colonize roots in competitive conditions, i.e., natural field soils. Different methods of processing root samples are required if one is measuring external root colonization alone, internal colonization alone, or both. Given that most beneficial bacterial strains currently under investigation as root colonists are members of taxa naturally found in soils, a marking system is required to differentiate the introduced strain from members of the indigenous rhizosphere community. Spontaneous antibiotic resistance, immunological approaches, and foreign DNA sequences are among the marking systems that have been used and each has some possible advantages and disadvantages. More research is needed in the development and comparison of marking systems. The design of experiments to measure root colonization should take into account several statistical issues. One must decide what constitutes the sample unit for each replication of a given treatment, e.g., whole root systems or root segments. Consideration should also be given to how best to express the estimated population of root colonists (e.g., cfu/g fresh or dry weight root, cfu/cm root, or cfu/surface area root). Statistical analysis by standard analysis of variance tests should be used whenever possible to separate treatment means of colonization levels; however, one must determine that the underlying assumptions of these tests are correct for each experiment. Finally, in quantification of populations on roots, one will almost certainly encounter replications with no bacteria, i.e., zeros. There are several options for how to calculate treatment means when one or more replications is a zero, and the implications of these options are discussed. Key words: bioluminescence, genetic markers, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, rhizosphere bacteria, root, colonization.

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De‐inking paper sludge (DPS) has been traditionally disposed of by burning or landfilling, but could be used as an organic amendment in agricultural soils. Our objective was to assess the impact of DPS incorporation on organic matter and aggregation of a clay loam (Typic Dystrochrept) and a silty clay loam (Typic Humaquept). Whole soil C, particulate (>53 μm) and light fraction (density <1.8 Mg m−3) C, and water‐stable aggregation were measured periodically during a 3‐yr period after a single application of DPS at rates of 0 (control), 50, and 100 Mg ha−1 Microscopic observations of water‐stable aggregates were also performed. Adding DPS increased whole soil C content, which remained greater than in the control for the duration of the study. After 2 yr, about 40% of the initial material remained in the soil. The proportion of residual C attributed to DPS and present in the particulate fraction remained constant at 70 to 90% during the first 2 yr of the study, whereas the proportion of residual C present in the light fraction decreased from >95% for fresh DPS to <50% after 2 yr. One year after incorporation of DPS, the proportion of water‐stable aggregates >1 mm was 2 to 6 times larger in amended soils than in the control. This effect was still statistically significant after 3 yr. Microscopic observations revealed that DPS formed into clusters of wood fibers which became encrusted with mineral particles. We hypothesized that this encrustation provided physical protection to the decaying DPS which remained particulate (>53 μm) in size and progressively densified to >1.8 Mg m−3 As a result, water‐stable macroaggregates were formed with DPS as a central core.

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