Microbial consortia
Disclosed herein are microbial consortia and compositions including microbes, for example, for use in agricultural or biodegradation applications. In some embodiments, soil, plants, and/or plant parts (such as seeds, seedlings, shoots, roots, leaves, fruit, stems, or branches) are contacted with a disclosed microbial consortia or composition including microbes. The microbial consortia or microbe-containing compositions may be applied to soil, plant, and/or plant parts alone or in combination with additional components (such as chitin, chitosan, glucosamine, amino acids, and/or liquid fertilizer). In additional embodiments, the disclosed microbial consortia or compositions including microbes are used in methods of degrading biological materials, such as chitin-containing biological materials.
1. A method of improving plant growth and/or increasing crop yield, comprising contacting soil, plants, or plant parts with a microbial composition comprising ATCC Deposit number PTA-121751.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising contacting the soil, plants, or plant parts with one or more of chitin, chitosan, glucosamine, and amino acids.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising contacting the soil, plants, or plant parts with a liquid fertilizer.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising contacting the soil, plants, or plant parts with one or more pesticides, one or more fungicides, one or more herbicides, one or more insecticides, one or more plant hormones, one or more plant elicitors, or combinations of two or more thereof.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising contacting the soil, plants, or plant parts with an aqueous fraction and/or a solid fraction produced by a method comprising:
mixing a chitin-containing biological source with a microbial composition comprising microbial species selected from five or more of Bacillus spp., Azospirillum spp., Pseudomonas spp., Lactobacillus spp., Desulfococcus spp., Desulfotomaculum spp., Marinobacter spp., Nitrosopumilus spp. Ruminococcus spp., Aquabacterium spp., Acidisoma spp., Microcoleus spp., Clostridium spp., Xenococcus spp., Brevibacterium spp., and Methanosaeta spp. to form a mixture;
fermenting the mixture; and
separating the fermented mixture into solid, aqueous, and lipid fractions.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising activating the microbes prior to contacting soil, plants, or plant parts with the microbial composition.