This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Calvo-Bado, L. A.
Right arrow Articles by Whipps, J. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Calvo-Bado, L. A.
Right arrow Articles by Whipps, J. M.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Calvo-Bado, L. A.
Right arrow Articles by Whipps, J. M.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2003, p. 2116-2125, Vol. 69, No. 4
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.4.2116-2125.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Spatial and Temporal Analysis of the Microbial Community in Slow Sand Filters Used for Treating Horticultural Irrigation Water

Leo A. Calvo-Bado,1 Tim R. Pettitt,1 Nick Parsons,2 Geoff M. Petch,1 J. Alun W. Morgan,1* and John M. Whipps1

Plant Pathology and Microbiology Department,1 Biometrics Department, Horticulture Research International, Wellesbourne, Warwickshire CV35 9EF, United Kingdom2

Received 29 October 2002/ Accepted 17 January 2003

An experimental slow sand filter (SSF) was constructed to study the spatial and temporal structure of a bacterial community suppressive to an oomycete plant pathogen, Phytophthora cryptogea. Passage of water through the mature sand column resulted in complete removal of zoospores of the plant pathogen. To monitor global changes in the microbial community, bacterial and fungal numbers were estimated on selective media, direct viable counts of fungal spores were made, and the ATP content was measured. PCR amplification of 16S rRNA genes and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) were used to study the dynamics of the bacterial community in detail. The top layer (1 cm) of the SSF column was dominated by a variable and active microbial population, whereas the middle (50 cm) and bottom (80 cm) layers were dominated by less active and diverse bacterial populations. The major changes in the microbial populations occurred during the first week of filter operation, and these populations then remained to the end of the study. Spatial and temporal nonlinear mapping of the DGGE bands provided a useful visual representation of the similarities between SSF samples. According to the DGGE profile, less than 2% of the dominating bands present in the SSF column were represented in the culturable population. Sequence analysis of DGGE bands from all depths of the SSF column indicated that a range of bacteria were present, with 16S rRNA gene sequences similar to groups such as Bacillus megaterium, Cytophaga, Desulfovibrio, Legionella, Rhodococcus rhodochrous, Sphingomonas, and an uncharacterized environmental clone. This study describes the characterization of the performance, and microbial composition, of SSFs used for the treatment of water for use in the horticultural industry. Utilization of naturally suppressive population of microorganisms either directly or by manipulation of the environment in an SSF may provide a more reproducible control method for the future.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Horticulture Research International, Wellesbourne, Warwickshire CV 35 9EF, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 (0) 1789 470382. Fax: 44 (0) 1789 470552. E-mail: alun.morgan{at}hri.ac.uk.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2003, p. 2116-2125, Vol. 69, No. 4
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.4.2116-2125.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Hunter, P. J., Petch, G. M., Calvo-Bado, L. A., Pettitt, T. R., Parsons, N. R., Morgan, J. A. W., Whipps, J. M. (2006). Differences in Microbial Activity and Microbial Populations of Peat Associated with Suppression of Damping-Off Disease Caused by Pythium sylvaticum.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 6452-6460 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Morgan, J. A. W., Bending, G. D., White, P. J. (2005). Biological costs and benefits to plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere. J Exp Bot 56: 1729-1739 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bomo, A.-M., Stevik, T. K., Hovi, I., Hanssen, J. F. (2004). Bacterial Removal and Protozoan Grazing in Biological Sand Filters. J. Environ. Qual. 33: 1041-1047 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»