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Bacteria extracted from salty soils can help vines cope better with heat waves. This is the conclusion of a study by João Carreiras, a PhD student in marine and environmental sciences at the University of Lisbon. For this purpose, he treated vines of the Antão Vaz variety with a cocktail of rhizobacteria, which have long been known to provide good nutrition, better growth and increased resistance in stress situations in symbiosis with plants.
Rhizobacteria are bacterial species that support plants in their growth and are therefore often referred to as "Plant-Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria" (PGPR). Carreiras inoculated the pot-grown vines with the bacterial cocktail for 45, 15 and seven days before exposing them to an artificial heat wave. He raised the temperatures to 42 °C during the day for five days and to 38 °C at night.
"In contrast to the untreated vines, the cells of the treated vines showed very little sign of heat stress. Their leaves did not wilt or discolour, almost as if the heat wave had not occurred," explains the PhD student. Although more research is needed, PGPR bacteria could help mitigate the harmful effects of climate change on agricultural productivity, according to a related study. The new results are described as "promising".
Portuguese wine company Sogrape is also testing the use of marine algae extracts on vines to help them cope with drought.
(al / source: vitisphere)