Saline stress affects the attachment of Azospirillum brasilense Cd to maize and wheat roots

The present work was designed to study the effect of saline stress on the attachment of Azospirollum brasilense to maize and wheat roots. We demonstrate that both attachment steps (adsorption and anchoring) are altered. A 100-kDa protein disappeared under these experimental conditions. Coincidently, a 100-kDa flagellum protein has been identified as the agent responsible for adsorption. However, the adhesive properties of bacteria appear to involve other factors, such as the ionic strength of the medium. The impairment of anchoring ability was correlated with alterations in exopolysaccharide, glucan, and lipopolysaccharide contents.