Endophytic bacteria associated with Sphagnum mosses: ecological diversity and application for agricultural microbiology.

Sphagnum mosses serve as a unique habitat for microorganisms, which play an important role both for the host plants and the peatland ecosystems. The aim of the present study was to isolate endophytic bacteria from the tissues of Sphagnum mosses and to screen them for strains promising for further application in agricultural microbiology. About 50 samples of Sphagnum fallax (H. Klinggr.) H. Klinggr. and Sphagnum magellanicum Brid. were collected in the Austrian Alps, Lenindgrad Region and West Siberia in 2009–2012. Endophytic bacteria were detected inside the moss plants using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) followed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Altogether, more than 400 isolates were obtained by cultivation on the nutrient media. Examination of the isolates for the antagonistic activity revealed that more than 50% of them could suppress the growth of phytopathogenic and toxigenic fungi. More than 30% of isolates showed some antagonistic activity against microbial phytopathogens. The isolated strains could colonize crops and promote their growth. Molecular-genetic identification coupled with physiological/biochemical characterization showed that the dominant endophytic groups belonged to the genera Burkholderia, Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Serratia and