RESUMO Mimosa foliolosa Mimosa foliolosa é uma espécie nativa de campos rupestres promissora para revegetação de áreas degradadas neste ecossistema. A simbiose entre leguminosas e bactérias fixadoras de N2 pode desempenhar um papel importante na recuperação dessas áreas, uma vez que estas plantas têm melhor desenvolvimento e são mais resistentes ao ataque de patógenos. Em adição à fixação biológica de N2 (-FBN), essas bactérias podem promover o crescimento vegetal por meio de outros processos, tais como solubilização de fosfatos e produção de sideróforos. Nós estudamos as características culturais e genéticas de 11 estirpes de bactérias isoladas de solo de campos rupestres utilizando Mimosa tenuiflora como planta isca. Nós avaliamos estas estirpes em relação as suas características simbióticas como nodulação e promoção de crescimento de Mimosa foliolosa, assim como sua habilidade de solubilizar fosfato e produzir sideróforos. Estirpes bacterianas fixadoras de N2 nativas pertencentes ao gênero Paraburkholderia (UFLA01-750, UFLA01-728, UFLA01-725 e UFLA01-757), apresentaram alta eficiência simbiótica com M. foliolosa, além de solubilizar fosfato de cálcio e produzir sideróforos, evidenciando uma alta diversidade funcional e potencial para uso em projetos de revegetação.

ABSTRACT Mimosa foliolosa is a promising native species of rupestrian fields for revegetation of degraded areas in this ecosystem. The symbiosis between leguminous plants and N2-fixing bacteria may play an important role in the recovery of these areas, since these plants have better development and are more resistant to the attack of pathogens. In addition to the biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), these bacteria can promote plant growth through other processes, such as phosphate solubilization and siderophore production. We studied the cultural and genetic characteristics of 11 bacterial strains, isolated from rupestrian field soils using Mimosa tenuiflora as “trap” plant. We evaluated these strains considering their symbiotic characteristics such as nodulation, and growth-promotion of Mimosa foliolosa, as well as their ability for siderophore production and phosphate solubilization. Native N2-fixing bacterial strains belonging to the Paraburkholderia genus (UFLA01-750, UFLA01-728, UFLA01-725, and UFLA01-757), showed high symbiotic efficiency with M. foliolosa. These strains also solubilized calcium phosphate and produced siderophores, exhibiting high functional diversity and potential for use in revegetation projects.

The pH of the culture medium directly influences the growth of microorganisms and the chemical processes that they perform. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of the initial pH of the culture medium on the production of 11 low-molecular-weight organic acids and on the solubilization of calcium phosphate by bacteria in growth medium (NBRIP). The following strains isolated from cowpea nodules were studied: UFLA03-08 (Rhizobium tropici), UFLA03-09 (Acinetobacter sp.), UFLA03-10 (Paenibacillus kribbensis), UFLA03-106 (Paenibacillus kribbensis) and UFLA03-116 (Paenibacillus sp.). The strains UFLA03-08, UFLA03-09, UFLA03-10 and UFLA03-106 solubilized Ca3(PO4)2 in liquid medium regardless of the initial pH, although without a significant difference between the treatments. The production of organic acids by these strains was assessed for all of the initial pH values investigated, and differences between the treatments were observed. Strains UFLA03-09 and UFLA03-10 produced the same acids at different initial pH values in the culture medium. There was no correlation between phosphorus solubilized from Ca3(PO4)2 in NBRIP liquid medium and the concentration of total organic acids at the different initial pH values. Therefore, the initial pH of the culture medium influences the production of organic acids by the strains UFLA03-08, UFLA03-09, UFLA03-10 and UFLA03-106 but it does not affect calcium phosphate solubilization.