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Ubiquitous presence of normally non-culturable endophytic bacteria in field shoot-tips of banana and their gradual activation to quiescent cultivable form in tissue cultures

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Abstract

Exploring the source of quiescent bacteria in tissue-cultured bananas (Musa sp.) we demonstrate here through a combination of bacterial 16S rDNA-based molecular technique, light microscopy and cultivation-based approaches the ubiquitous presence of endophytic bacteria in the field shoots of different genotypes (Grand Naine, Robusta, Dwarf Cavendish, Ney Poovan and exotic accessions) and their widespread prevalence in apparently clean tissue cultures. A portion of field shoot-tips (10–60%) showed cultivable endophytes, especially during rainy season, yielding 102–105 colony forming units g−1 fresh tissue in ‘Grand Naine’, which overtly expressed on tissue culture medium as well. The rest showed no colony development on diverse bacteriological media but proved PCR+ve to bacterial primers indicating the presence of normally non-culturable organisms, which was endorsed by microscopic observations. Such endophytes gradually turned cultivable rendering all visibly clean cultures as quiescent bacteria-harboring after a few (2–4) to several (8–20) passages, resulting in as much as 1.7 × 105 – 4.0 × 107 colony forming units g−1 tissue of ‘Grand Naine’ after ten passages, yielding different organisms. This study has thus exposed the ubiquitous and intense association existing between endophytes and bananas, including their quiescent survival in suspension cultures. The effect due to quiescent bacteria in micropropagated stocks could not be generalized. The observations question the fundamental principle of asepsis in plant tissue cultures and bring in new information on plant-endophtye association in vitro with implications in micropropagation, germplasm conservation, cell culture studies and molecular profiling. The possible involvement of unsuspected endophytic bacteria in tissue-culture associated phenomena like habituation and epigenetic and somaclonal variations are discussed.

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Abbreviations

BA:

Blood agar base

BIM:

Bacteriological indexing medium

BHIA:

Brain heart infusion agar

CFU:

Colony forming units

LA:

Luria agar

MA:

Macconky agar

NA:

Nutrient agar

NCB:

Non-culturable bacteria

OC:

Original culture

TCM:

Tissue culture medium

TSA:

Trypticasein soy agar

VA:

Viss et al. (1991) agar

VBNC:

Viable but non-culturable

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by a grant from the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India under the project ‘Identification of covert endophytic microbes in plant tissue cultures and their management and control’. Contributions from D. P. Prakash, P. K. Roy and V. Bidari during their brief association with the project and laboratory assistance by N. Shivrudriah and B. Hanumanthraju are acknowledged. The supply of banana suckers by L. B. Naik, and the supply of in vitro plant material by M/s E. K. Plants (Pvt.) Ltd. Bangalore are gratefully acknowledged. Thanks to L. Anand for the critical reading of the manuscript and the suggestions. This publication bears IIHR Contribution No. 69/06.

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  1. Ganiga K. Swarna

    Present address: Department of Biotechnology, Dr. S. G. Reddy College, Domlur, Bangalore, 560071, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hessarghatta Lake, Bangalore, 560089, India

    Pious Thomas & Ganiga K. Swarna

  2. AICRP on Tropical Fruit Crops, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hessarghatta Lake, Bangalore, 560089, India

    Prakash Patil

  3. Division of Plant Pathology, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hessarghatta Lake, Bangalore, 560089, India

    Ram D. Rawal

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Thomas, P., Swarna, G.K., Patil, P. et al. Ubiquitous presence of normally non-culturable endophytic bacteria in field shoot-tips of banana and their gradual activation to quiescent cultivable form in tissue cultures. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 93, 39–54 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-008-9340-x

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