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Carbon Nanotubes as Plant Growth Regulators: Effects on Tomato Growth, Reproductive System, and Soil Microbial Community
Author(s) -
Khodakovskaya Mariya V.,
Kim BongSoo,
Kim Jong Nam,
Alimohammadi Mohammad,
Dervishi Enkeleda,
Mustafa Thikra,
Cernigla Carl E.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201201225
Subject(s) - bacteroidetes , firmicutes , proteobacteria , temperature gradient gel electrophoresis , microbial population biology , carbon nanotube , soil carbon , pyrosequencing , biology , carbon fibers , botany , bacteria , soil water , materials science , ecology , 16s ribosomal rna , gene , biochemistry , composite material , composite number , genetics
Multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can affect plant phenotype and the composition of soil microbiota. Tomato plants grown in soil supplemented with CNTs produce two times more flowers and fruit compared to plants grown in control soil. The effect of carbon nanotubes on microbial community of CNT‐treated soil is determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and pyrosequencing analysis. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes are the most dominant groups in the microbial community of soil. The relative abundances of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes are found to increase, whereas Proteobacteria and Verrucomicorbia decrease with increasing concentration of CNTs. The results of comparing diversity indices and species level phylotypes (OTUs) between samples showed that there is not a significant affect on bacterial diversity.