Manipulation of Enabling Microbial Systems for Improved Bioenergy Crops

C53-30c-271154The Department of Energy is seeking the development of microbial amendments for crop production, specifically for sustainable bioenergy crops. Particularly desirable are plant growth promoting microbe systems that would improve bioenergy crop growth and increase yield when grown on marginal lands that are unsuitable for food agriculture. In the proposed project, the company will continue to develop a suite of plant growth promoting microbes encapsulated in naturally derived, cellulose-based carriers, geared toward increased switchgrass production in marginal lands. In Phase I, the project team has: (1) developed protocols to efficiently manipulate plant growth promoting microbes, including Bacillus subtilis, Microbacterium testaceum, Pseudomonas simiae WCS417, by encapsulation in cellulose-based carriers, (2) demonstrated controlled release of the biologically active encapsulated microbes, and (3) shown improved switchgrass growth trends when treated with the manipulated microbes in pot studies and fabricated ecosystems, both conducted in plant growth chambers with 16 hours photoperiod light/dark cycles. Phase II efforts will focus on characterizing the response of switchgrass growth to the manipulated microbes at two important plant life stages: germination and seedling establishment. In addition, a comprehensive greenhouse study will be conducted to evaluate the growth of switchgrass in ambient and drought conditions. A library of the plant growth promoting microbes will be assessed for their viability and their release profile. Refinement of the cellulose- based carriers will be carried out to prepare for commercial readiness. The proposed plant growth promoting microbe system would find an immediate application in the agricultural microbes’ industry where other microbial systems are currently utilized and are gaining ground over agrochemicals as soil amendments and crop protection. The encapsulated microbes would offer improved consistency, controlled and prolonged release, and prevent microbial inactivation in adverse conditions. The proposed microbial system could be tailored for other crops and also find applications in the direct-feed microbial and probiotic industries.