BELLA: Today, we are going to talk about a very different kind of living thing called MICROBES
and its benefits to AGRICULTURE
BELLA: When we hear the word microorganisms, what comes into our minds?
*pops up different photos of kinds of microbes*
BELLA: Microbes are tiny forms of life that surround us – too small to be seen by the naked eye.
They are found in water, soil, and air. these creatures are literally everywhere. But before you
panic about the fact that/ they are presently inhabiting your body, it is important to understand/ that
they typically do much more good than harm.
BELLA: And when we talk about agriculture, what are the things that reminds you?
MARK: Agriculture, the practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops and raising livestocks.
Who would've known that these two are massively relative? (insert bella ineedit yung 2 words
haha)
MARK: According to Pelczar et al (1998), agricultural microbiology is concerned with the
relationship between microbes and crops with an emphasis on improving yields and combating
plant diseases. [VOICE RECORD]
HANNAH: Mark! Don’t forget that Microorganisms have many uses in agriculture. There are
beneficial and harmful microorganisms. Soil microbes, such as bacteria and fungi, are essential
for the decomposing organic matter and recycling old plant material.
HANNAH: Some soil bacteria and fungi form relationships with plant roots that provide
important nutrients like nitrogen or phosphorus. Fungi can colonize upper parts of plants and
provide many benefits, including drought tolerance, heat tolerance, resistance to insects and
resistance to plant diseases. [VOICE RECORD]
DENARK: Guys did you also know that the symbiotic relationships between plants and microbes
can be used as an effective leverage for greater food production to feed the growing human
populace, and to produce safer farming techniques for the sake of minimizing ecological
disruption. (----)
DENARK: Through the symbiosis of microbes and plants, we have developed a way utilize
microbes for plant growth promotion. Different symbionts use unique methods to infect.
[VOICE RECORD]
CYNTHIA: okay classmates now we are going to talk about the three major groups of microbial
inoculants and these are AMF,PGPR andnitrogen-fixing rhizobia
1. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi or simply AMF (SHERRIJON)
- This type of species produce structure like arbuscules and vesicles or sites of
nutrient transfer and storage. Builds a scaffolding of hyphal networks surrounding
the plant roots they colonize. It promotes host plant uptake of nitrogen and
phosphorus. Common genera include Aspergillus, Mucor, Penicillium Trichoderma,
Alternaria, and Rhizopu.
2. Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria, PGPR (CYNTHIA)
- This group of soil bacteria colonizes developing plant roots. The bacterias promote
the plants with their own different buzz. Some synthesize plant growth hormones
like indoleacetic acis and other auxins whilw others simply suplly the plant with
nutrients from tge soil. It was proposed to promote the growth of roots through
improved water and mineral uptake by its phytohormone expression. Common
bacterial speciesh include Pseudomonas, Azospirillum, Azotobacter, Klebsiella,
Enterobacter.
3. Last of the three is Nitrogen-fixing rhizobia (SHERRIJON)
- Our atmosphere consists about 78% of triple-bonded diatomic nitrogen which are
highly stable and unable to be used by plants. These rhizobia form unaerobic
nodules on the roots of legumes and express genes for enzymes like nitrogenase to
convert nitrogen into bioavailable compounds for their host plants. Nitrogen is an
element frequently found in cellular components like amino acids that build us and
its bioavailability is indeed crucial to the growth of a plant. Some common species
are Rhizobium leguminorium, Sinorhizobium meliloti, Agrobacterium tumefaciens
and Bradyrhizobium japonicum.
MARK: at last, we are now going to talk about our main topic, The main importance of
microbes in agriculture. The importance of microbes in agriculture is the involvement of
microbes in nutrient transformation processes, such as:
1. Nitrogen Cycle (BELLA)
- The nitrogen cycle is the process by which nitrogen/ is converted into its various
chemical forms/. This transformation can be carried out through both biological/
and physical processes.
- Important processes in the nitrogen cycle/ includes – Nitrogen Fixation,
Ammonification, Nitrification and De-nitrification
2. Carbon Cycle (HANNAH)
- The roles of microorganisms involved in carbon cycle are described bellow:
Fungi: In carbon cycle, fungi plays a role in the process of decomposition,
especially in the soil
Bacteria and Archaea: Due to the diversity and unique types of metabolism of
prokaryotic bacteria and archea, they play the essential role in carbon cycle.
Autotrophs include plants, algae, photosynthetic bacteria, lithotrophs, and
methanogens. They use Carbon dioxide as a sole source of carbon for growth and
reduces the molecule to organic cell material (CH2O). Heterotrophs such as algae
require organic carbon for growth and ultimately convert it back to carbon
dioxide.
They are important in the carbon cycle for the processes of biodegradation and
decomposition under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.
Cyanobacteria: Cyanobacteria photosynthetically “fix” carbon from air into
organic matter at the base of the food chain, simultaneously releasing oxygen.
3. Sulfur Cycle (MARK)
- The sulfur cycle is the collection of processes by which sulfur moves between rocks,
waterways and living systems. Such biogeochemical cycles are important in geology
because they affect many minerals.
4. Phosphorus Cycle (DENARK)
- It is in the rocks where the phosphorus cycle begins. When it rains, phosphates are
removed from the rocks (via weathering) and are distributed throughout both soils
and water. Plants take up the phosphate ions from the soil. The phosphates then
moves from plants to animals when herbibores eat plants and carnivores eat plants
or herbivores.
The phosphates absorbed by animal tissue through consumption eventually returns to the soil
through the excretion of urine and feces, as well as from the final decomposition of plants and
animals after death.
5. Bio-fertilizers (BELLA)
- Bio fertilizers are low cost, renewable source of plant nutrients/ which supplement
chemical fertilizers/. To alleviate the harmful effects of polluted soil/, biofertilizers
have been used/ to remediate the fertility of chromium-polluted soil.
