Senior Project Advisor
Marion Brodhagen
Document Type
Project
Publication Date
Spring 2024
Keywords
Endophyte, bacteria, brassica, germination, pathogen, agriculture
Abstract
This study investigates the effects of endophytes, which are bacteria that reside within plants, on germination rates and growth of seeds in the Brassicaceae family. Brassicas, which are plants in the cabbage family, are widely grown in the Skagit Valley. Most of the Brassicaceae seed grown in the United States comes from the area surrounding Bellingham. Because of this, it is important to study the seed microbiome. Researchers have discovered that endophytes can defend plants against pathogenic invasions, as well as unfavorable environmental conditions. There have also been studies that found that endophytes can affect germination and growth of plants. We wanted to further investigate this subject, using seeds produced by a local company, Uprising Seeds. Our lab used bacterial strains isolated from tatsoi seeds (Brassica rapa subsp. narinosa) to test whether they impacted seed germination. To do this, we sterilized the surface of tatsoi seeds to ensure we would be studying the bacteria within the seed coat. Then, we exposed the seeds to the isolated bacteria on plates of agar. We also included three plates without bacteria, as a control. The seeds were left to grow for a few days, and we took note of the number of germinated seeds on each plate of agar at regular intervals. Eventually, we measured the lengths of some of the seedlings. We discovered that each isolate not only affected germination and early growth of seedlings, but also affected the microbiome inside the seed during the process of germination. Our research suggests that for endophytes to be useful to farmers, additional research is needed to discover which endophytes work best as seed treatments for specific crops.
[The abstract here serves as a placeholder, with the article to be linked later after publication elsewhere.]
Department
Biology
Recommended Citation
Formiga, Emmy, "Beneath the Surface: Exploring Endospore-Forming Bacteria in Brassica Seeds" (2024). WWU Honors College Senior Projects. 865.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwu_honors/865
Type
Text
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf