Discaria trinervis - Frankia symbiosis promotion by saprophytic actinomycetes.

The influence of saprophytic actinomycetes strains on the Discaria trinervis - Frankia actinorhizal symbiosis was investigated. Three strains out of 122 isolated from the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of D. trinervis with multiple enzymatic activities, were selected for plant growth experiments: Streptomyces (BCRU-MM40), Actinoplanes (BCRU-ME3) and Micromonospora (BCRU-MM18). Inoculated seedlings of Discaria trinervis were grown in glass tubes with vermiculite-sand for 12 weeks. They were inoculated either with a single saprophytic strain or a combination of one or two of them together with the symbiotic N(2) fixing strain Frankia BCU110501. The saprophytic strains were applied in two experimental series, i.e. mycelium + supernatant simultaneously or mycelium and supernatant (growth medium free of cells) separately. Micromonospora strain MM18 showed a direct promotion effect on shoot growth, when plants were inoculated with mycelium and supernatant together. Streptomyces strain MM40 and Actinoplanes strain ME3 promoted the actinorhizal symbiosis with Frankia and consequently the development of plant shoots, when supernatant was involved as inoculum. It is supposed, that the strains MM18, MM40 and ME3 produce bioactive metabolites, which are released into the culture medium. The saprophytic strains studied could be considered as "promoting or helper rhizoactinomycetes" of the actinorhizal plant D. trinervis.