application
of eps in soil and plant science

Background and Research objective

In natural environment, over 99% of microbial life live within biofilms (Potera, 1996; Vu et al., 2009). The development of soil biofilms affects the local soil physicochemical properties. Biofilms are aggregates of microbes (bacteria, algae, fungi and protozoa), connected by extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) which  comprises up to 80% of a soil biofilm’s dry mass (Chenu, 1993; Vu et al., 2009). The EPS of mixed-species biofilms is primarily composed of carbohydrates/polysaccharides, proteins, and uronic acids, with smaller quantities of DNA and glycolipids (Flemming & Wingender, 2010). The biofilm-secreted EPS makes up the intercellular space of microbial aggregates, and develops connection among minerals and strengthens the internal cohesion of soil microaggregates (Lünsdorf et al., 2000; Vu et al., 2009). This can protect soil organic matter (SOM) effectively (Six et al., 2004) and maintain soil structure stability and functioning (Lentz, 2015).

In this project, we aim to investigate the potential benefits of EPS bringing to soil and plant growth. We are going to perform a pot experiment in a climate chamber and quantify plant growth with application of EPS.