Office of
Research and Creative Scholarship

Rhizobacterial Desiccation Tolerance

Robert Zdor (Biology)

Improving Rhizobacterial Desiccation Tolerance with Hydroxyectoine & Bacterial Polysaccharide

The weed deleterious rhizobacterium Acidovorax delafieldii ATH2-2RS/1 has promise as a tool in velvetleaf weed management but has poor viability in dry granular formulations. This project will test the ability of bacterial polysaccharide and hydroxyectoine to improve A. delafieldii ATH2- 2RS/1 survival in dry diatomaceous earth powders. If successful this advance will make possible the testing of a bacterial-herbicide dual agent for weed control in the form of a granular formulation.