Influence of the green microalga Chlorella sorokiniana on seed germination in Arabidopsis thaliana

D. Fierli, T. Huarancca Reyes, L. Mariotti, L. Guglielminetti, C. R. Damiani

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Recent studies in algae have revealed that they produce auxins-like compounds, which can affect land plants. Auxins play a crucial role in the growth and development of higher plants and are also used as herbicides or germination inhibitors. The aim of this work was to study the effects of a fresh water microalga on the germination and developing of Arabidopsis thaliana. Axenic liquid cultures of Chlorella sorokiniana were grown and used to prepare different types of solid agar-based media on which Arabidopsis was sowed. Germination was completely inhibited on the medium containing cells subjected to a treatment of mechanical lysis and on the medium with intact cells. GC-MS analysis confirmed the presence of free indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in both liquid growing medium and cells. These results indicated that these microalgae produce free IAA at sufficient concentration to affect the seedlings development acting as herbicide.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)239-251
Number of pages13
JournalAgrochimica
Volume62
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Arabidopsis thaliana
  • Chlorella sorokiniana
  • Germination
  • Phyto-hormones
  • Plant development

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