Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Degree

Master of Science

Program

Biology

Supervisor

Dr. George Lazarovits

Abstract

Burkholderia phytofirmans strain PsJN consistently enhanced the growth of potato plants in vitro. The role of hexokinase1 in glucose phosphorylation was investigated in plants with PsJN. Increased hexokinase1 activity only in roots of PsJN-treated plants cultivar Kennebec suggests that hexokinase1 is associated with plant root and stem growth.

Plant growth with PsJN was determined when plants were grown with different sugars at various concentrations. PsJN-treated plants expressed diverse forms of growth promotion. When growth promotion did occur, hexokinase1 activity also increased. Growth promotion and hexokinase1 activity appear to be correlated to the enzyme to recognize the substrate for catalytic activity.

Cultivar Yukon Gold showed minimum response to the growth promotion typically induced by PsJN in cultivar Kennebec. Hexoinase1 activity in the roots of PsJN-treated plants was increased at much later stage than found with cultivar Kennebec. This indicates that the mechanism associated with growth promotion by PsJN is different in different potato cultivars. Keywords:

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