No abstract

The novel strain Enterobacter sp. strain AD2-3 was isolated from postmining soil samples collected from Antamok mine in Benguet, Philippines. Here, we report a draft of its whole-genome sequence, with predicted gene inventories supporting metal tolerance, nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, and indole acetic acid production.

A two-season study was conducted in a cabbage farmer’s field in Sariaya, Quezon Province, Philippines to determine the impact of Trichoderma microbial inoculant (TMI) application on above-ground terrestrial arthropod profile. Soil microflora population dynamics, soil chemical properties, the nitrogen and phosphate crop uptake, and disease incidence were monitored for the first season only. TMI treatment was compared with farmer’s practice (FP, control) that involved insecticide treatment following an RCBD with three replicates. Target organisms were simultaneously monitored at 40, 60 and 85 days after transplanting (DAT). This is the first report on simultaneously studying these components of the cabbage agroecosystem.Combined seasons’ data showed higher arthropod counts in TMI plots, with predators significantly higher at third sampling-first season and parasite population first sampling-second season. Insect damage was observed on all plants indicating herbivore infestation, despite insecticide spraying in FP. Marketable yield was significantly greater in TMI plots based on combined seasons’data.Trichoderma invaded cabbage roots and existed as an endophyte throughout the life of the crop. It also significantly reduced disease incidence, increased N uptake despite reduced fertilizer application compared with FP. No change in culturable bacterial and fungal population was observed except for a transient increase in fungal population following TMI application.Further testing on other crucifers should be done to determine their reaction against major insect pests and on functional microbial groups

The Mount Makiling Forest Reserve (MMFR) is a biodiversity hotspot and listed as one of the 170 conservation priority areas established by the Philippine government. Its flora and fauna diversity has been reported, but knowledge gap has been identified concerning the bacterial communities associated with the flora and fauna. This study focused on ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), which are dominant in forest canopy and play essential roles in the ecosystem functionality. A metagenomic sequencing approach based on amplified V3–V4 regions of the 16S rRNA was employed to investigate the bacterial communities associated with five arboreal ant species collected from MMFR. The collected ants were identified as Dolichoderus thoracicus, Myrmicaria sp., Colobopsis leonardi, Polyrhachis mindanaensis, and Polyrhachis semiinermis. The sequence analyses revealed that Proteobacteria, Spirochaetes, Firmicutes, Bacteroides, and Actinobacteria were the most abundant phyla. Individual analysis of the bacterial genera associated with the five ant species showed that unclassified members of Rhizobiaceae, Orbaceae, and Burkholderiaceae were dominant in D. thoracicus. Unclassified members of Rhizobiaceae, Spirochaetaceae, and Ruminococcaceae were dominant in Myrmicaria sp. On the other hand, Candidatus Blochmannia, and Wolbachia were abundant in Camponotini ants C. leonardi, P. mindanaensis, and P. semiinermis. Bray-Curtis distance and UPGMA cluster analyses showed that the microbiomes of the Camponotini group clustered together, while D. thoracicus and Myrmicaria sp. exhibited unique bacterial profiles. Predictive gene profile analysis showed that the most functional categories were those associated with metabolism and biosynthesis of amino acids, pathways for metabolism of nucleotide, amino sugars and nitrogen, and utilization of different carbon sources.

Gold mining is an essential economic booster in enhancing the foreign exchange of a country. However, the gold mining activities resulting in contaminated soil. Phytoremediation, using plants for environmental remediation, has been intensively investigated in last decade. Phytoremediation has fewer side effects than conventional physical and chemical methods. This remediation technique embraces an array of low-cost plant-based technologies that could be potentially advantageous for remediation of the former gold mining site. This research aimed to assess the potency of selected microorganisms to support the growth of the plant in the soil of the former gold mining area. The application of selected microorganisms of P solubilizer, N fixing, growth-promoting bacteria, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi showed the best result on yield. This study showed that sengon (Falcataria) yields the better one compared to that of sorghum both in a medium consisting of ex gold mining soil and compost and medium with the composition of the soil, compost, and zeolite. It can thus be concluded that sengon inoculated with selected microbe is a potential method for remediating ex gold mining area.