Microbial Ecology Of The Soil And Plant Growth

Preface v Acknowledgements ix Part I The Soil Medium Inert Components 5(17) Solid Mineral Fraction 5(1) Clays 6(1) Consequences of Properties of Clays 7(2) Exchange Capacity and Buffering Effect 7(1) Water Retention 8(1) Adsorption of Organic Compounds 8(1) Effect on Soil Structure 9(1) Inert Organic Matter 9(1) Origin 9(1) Properties of Humus 10(1) Humus-Clay Complex 10(1) Soil Structure 10(4) Definition 10(1) Microaggregates 10(1) Macroaggregrates 11(1) Aggregates, a Heterogeneous Biotope 11(3) Liquid Phase 14(4) Definition and Composition 14(1) Water Availability 14(3) Soil pH 17(1) Gaseous Phase 18(4) Definition 18(1) Oxidoreduction (Redox) Potential 19(3) Living Components of the Soil 22(51) Prokaryotes 24(10) Nuclear Apparatus 25(1) Envelopes 26(1) Nutrition 27(1) Chemotaxis 28(1) Ecological Exigencies 28(1) Classification 28(4) Isolation and Enumeration of Soil Prokaryotes 32(2) Eukaryotes 34(28) General Characteristics 34(2) Fungi 36(8) Protists 44(7) Microfauna 51(11) Viruses 62(3) Definition 62(1) Multiplication of Viruses 62(1) Lysogeny 63(1) Transduction and Conversion 63(2) Ecology of Viruses 65(1) Underground Organs of Plants 65(8) Introduction 65(1) Overview of Root Anatomy 65(3) Root Functions 68(1) Root Renewal 68(2) Other Underground Organs 70(3) Biological Activity of the Soil 73(10) Biomass 73(5) Introduction 73(1) Direct Methods of Biomass Evaluation 74(1) Indirect Methods of Biomass Evaluation 74(3) Measurement of Specific Enzymatic Activity 77(1) Soil Enzymes 78(5) Introduction 78(1) Origin of Soil Enzymes 78(1) Consequences of Enzyme Adsorption 79(2) Ecological Importance 81(2) Effect of Environment on Microorganisms 83(32) Availability of Water 83(6) Effects of Desiccation 83(2) Effects of Rehydration 85(1) Effects of Submersion 86(3) Soil pH 89(3) Relation between pH an Microbial Equilibria 90(1) Effects on Growth and Microbial Activity 90(1) Effect on Superficial Charges of Walls 91(1) Composition of Soil Atmosphere 92(5) Effect of Oxygen Content 93(1) Effect of Carbon Dioxide 93(1) Effect of Ammonia 93(2) Effect of Volatile Compounds Released by Roots 95(1) Effect of Volatile Compounds Released by Germinating Seeds 95(1) Effect of Volatile Compounds Emitted by Plant Debris 96(1) Clays 97(4) Effect on Populations 97(1) Effect on Infectivity 98(1) Effect on Vertical Descent 99(2) Temperature 101(5) Direct Effect of Temperature on Microorganisms 101(3) Effect on Microbial Equilibria 104(1) Effect on Equilibrium Among Microbes and Plants 105(1) Xenobiotic Compounds 106(3) Generalities 106(1) Maximum Depressive Effect and Recovery Time 106(2) Effect of Pesticides 108(1) Other Factors 109(6) Metallic Ions 109(1) Pressure 110(5) Part II Effects of Microorganisms Modifications of Physico-chemical Characteristics of the Environment Due to the Effect of Microorganisms 115(43) Effects on pH 115(2) Acidification of the Environment 115(1) Alkalinisation of the Environment 116(1) Effects on Soil Structure 117(2) Binders of Microbial Origin 117(1) Role of Mycelial Hyphae 117(1) Biological Ameliorators of Structure 118(1) Mineral Cycles 119(32) Carbon Cycle 120(10) Nitrogen Cycle 130(17) Phosphorus Cycle 147(2) Sulphur Cycle 149(2) Action on Xenobiotic Compount 151(7) Biodegradation 152(2) Enhanced Biodegradation 154(4) Interactions between Microorganisms 158(31) Types of Possible Relations 158(16) Interactions between Two Populations 159(13) Complex Situations 172(2) Fungistatic Effect of Soils 174(6) Explanation of Fungistatic Effect by Action of Inhibitors 175(1) Explanation of Fungistatic Effect by Phenomena of Competition 176(2) Autolysis 178(1) Ecological Consequences of Fungistasis 179(1) Conclusion and Generalisation 179(1) Resistant Soils 180(9) Soils Resistant to Fusarium Oxysporum 181(4) Soils Resistant to Gaeumannomyces Graminis var. Tritici 185(4) Interactions between Microorganisms and Plants 189(80) Microorganisms of Soil and of Organic Substrates 189(6) Immobilisation of Mineral Elements 189(1) Toxicity Phenomena 189(3) Crop Residues, Source of Inoculum 192(3) Microorganisms of the Rhizosphere 195(25) The Rhizosphere 195(11) Rhizospheric Microflora 206(14) Microorganisms that colonise the Root 220(21) From Overcoming Microbiostasis to Infection 220(6) Degrees of Relation between Plant and Microorganism 226(4) Examples of Mutualism between Plants and Microorganisms 230(11) Diseases of Complex Etiology 241(10) Parasite Complexes 241(3) Opportunistic Parasites and Stress Diseases 244(1) Vector-transmitted Diseases 245(6) Theoretical Aspects of Relations Among Soil Microorganisms and Plants 251(18) Inoculum 252(2) Inoculum Potential 254(5) Modelling Infection 259(10) Part III Possibilities of Intervention Why Intervene? 269(18) Deleterious Organisms 270(6) Parasitic Microorganisms 270(5) Non-parasitic Microorganisms 275(1) Auxiliary Microorganisms 276(11) Nitrogen-fixing Bacteria 276(2) Mycorrhizae 278(3) Biopesticides 281(2) Growth Stimulators 283(1) Agents that Improve Soil Structure 284(1) Biodegrading Microorganisms 284(1) Other Possible Uses 285(2) Interventions Against Unfavourable Organisms 287(37) Chemical Methods 287(2) Fumigants 287(2) Selective Treatments 289(2) Utilisation of Non-biocidal Chemical Compounds 291(3) pH Modifications 293(1) Ozone 293(1) Chloration 294(1) Physical Methods 294(5) Heat Treatment 294(1) Solarisation 295(3) Submersion 298(1) Ultraviolet Radiation 299(1) Cultivation Methods 299(14) Soil Tillage 299(2) Water Control 301(2) Sowing Conditions 303(1) Cultivation Systems 303(6) Mineral and Organic Soil Amendments 309(3) Soiless Cultivation 312(1) Biological Methods 313(11) Biological Control 314(5) Genetic Control 319(5) Utilisation of Auxiliary Microorganisms 324(17) Choice of Microorganisms 324(8) Efficiency Criteria 325(1) Competitiveness 326(1) Innocuousness 327(3) Compatibility 330(1) Association of Several Auxiliary Microorganisms 330(2) Production and Use of Auxiliary Microorganisms 332(9) Production of Inoculum 332(2) Conditioning 334(1) Application 335(6) Conclusion 341(4) References 345(30) Index 375