Tuesday, November 14, 2006
155-5
Microbial Diversity of an Agricultural Soil under Various Agronomic Conditions by Pcr-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis.
Elica Moss, Meiko Thompson, Zachary Senwo, and Robert Taylor. Alabama A&M Univ, 4900 Meridian St, Normal, AL 35762
Phylogenetic analysis of agricultural soils was performed to analyze the microbial community structure and diversity that could contribute to soil sustainability. DNA was extracted from soils obtained from the Alabama Agricultural Research Station, Belle Mina, Alabama under different management systems. Primers specific for the bacterial V3 region of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) (338f and 518r) were used for denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) separation of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified products. Subsequent cloning and sequencing of the DGGE fragments to determine specific microorganisms present indicated significant diversity among samples analyzed. To complement the molecular analysis, bacterial colonies were isolated to obtain cultivable microbial populations among those management systems. Cultivable organisms included those of the genus Pseudomonas, Salmonella, Enterobacter, Erwinia, Klebsiella, and Aneurinibacillus. This study aids in the identification of the microbial diversity within soil most beneficial to its sustainability.