SCREENING OF MULTIFUNCTIONAL BACTERIAL INOCULANTS WITH LIGNOCELLULOSE DEGRADATION ABILITY FOR AGRICULTURAL APPLICATIONS

We developed a flexible screening procedure for the selection of multifunctional bacterial agro-inoculant strains, with lignocellulose material degradation ability. Initial screening was done to select the bacteria isolates from ensilaged grass / legumes, able to growth on minimal media, with (carboxymethyl)cellulose, xylan or phytate as carbon source. On these isolates we tested the antagonism toward plant pathogens, ability to produce siderophores and compatibility with lactic acid bacteria. We selected a strain, SZE102A, able to growth on plant residues, with a highly antagonistic activity toward plant pathogens and compatible with lactic acid bacteria. We identified this strain as being Bacillus licheniformis, by a polyphasic taxonomic approach.