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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2000, p. 1527-1531, Vol. 66, No. 4
0099-2240/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Increased Growth of the Microalga Chlorella vulgaris when Coimmobilized and Cocultured in Alginate Beads with the Plant-Growth-Promoting Bacterium Azospirillum brasilensedagger

Luz E. Gonzalez1 and Yoav Bashan2,*

Department of Biology, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Santafe de Bogota, Colombia,1 and The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest (CIB), La Paz, B.C.S. 23000, Mexico2

Received 27 October 1999/Accepted 20 January 2000

Coimmobilization of the freshwater microalga Chlorella vulgaris and the plant-growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense in small alginate beads resulted in a significantly increased growth of the microalga. Dry and fresh weight, total number of cells, size of the microalgal clusters (colonies) within the bead, number of microalgal cells per cluster, and the levels of microalgal pigments significantly increased. Light microscopy revealed that both microorganisms colonized the same cavities inside the beads, though the microalgae tended to concentrate in the more aerated periphery while the bacteria colonized the entire bead. The effect of indole-3-acetic acid addition to microalgal culture prior to immobilization of microorganisms in alginate beads partially imitated the effect of A. brasilense. We propose that coimmobilization of microalgae and plant-growth-promoting bacteria is an effective means of increasing microalgal populations within confined environments.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest (CIB), P.O. Box 128. La Paz, B.C.S. 23000, Mexico. Phone: (112) 53633, X3663. Fax: (112) 54710. E-mail: bashan{at}cibnor.mx.

dagger Y. Bashan participated in this study in memory of the late Avner Bashan of Israel.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2000, p. 1527-1531, Vol. 66, No. 4
0099-2240/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • de-Bashan, L. E., Bashan, Y. (2008). Joint Immobilization of Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria and Green Microalgae in Alginate Beads as an Experimental Model for Studying Plant-Bacterium Interactions. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 6797-6802 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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