Chapter 6
Beneficial Effects of Bacterial Endophytes
on Forest Tree Species
Akshit Puri, Kiran Preet Padda and Chris P. Chanway
Abstract Since their discovery, beneficial bacteria living inside the plant tissues
(known as bacterial endophytes) have been studied widely in agricultural crop
species. But their ecology and effects on tree species in a forest ecosystem could be
very different yet intriguing. In this chapter, studies highlighting the isolation of
bacterial endophytes, re-inoculation and detection of the endophytic population in
the host tree, and benefits provided to the host tree through direct and indirect
mechanisms have been reviewed. Important tree species including those belonging
to the genusPinus,Populus, andPiceahave been reported widely to harbor bac-
terial endophytes belonging to the genusBacillus,Paenibacillus, andPseudomonas
and possibly obtain benefits like nitrogenfixation and increased biomass production
from them. Nitrogen-fixing bacterial endophytes are the most commonly studied
beneficial microbes of forest tree species, and thus have been reviewed in detail in
this chapter.
Keywords EndophytesDiazotrophic bacteriaPinusPopulusPicea
6.1 Introduction
Plants are a complex micro-ecosystem that harbors a range of microbes both in their
internal tissues as well as on their external surfaces. Although the importance of
microbes for plant health and growth promotion has been known for a long time,
internal tissues colonization was largely perceived as being related to the spread of
A. Puri (&)K.P. PaddaC.P. Chanway
Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, The University of British Columbia,
Forest Sciences Centre 3041, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
e-mail: [email protected]
K.P. Padda
e-mail: [email protected]
C.P. Chanway
e-mail: [email protected]
©Springer International Publishing AG 2017
D.K. Maheshwari and K. Annapurna (eds.),Endophytes: Crop Productivity
and Protection, Sustainable Development and Biodiversity 16,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-66544-3_6
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