Degradation, Phytoprotection and Phytoremediation of Phenanthrene by Endophyte Pseudomonas putida, PD1

Endophytes have been isolated from a large diversity of plants and have been shown to enhance the remediation efficiency of plants, but little information is available on the influence of endophytic bacteria on phytoremediation of widespread environmental contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In this study we selected a naturally occurring endophyte for its combined ability to colonize plant roots and degrade phenanthrene in vitro. Inoculation of two different willow clones and a grass with Pseudomonas putida PD1 was found to promote root and shoot growth and protect the plants against the phytotoxic effects of phenanthrene. There was an additional 25–40% removal of phenanthrene from soil by the willow and grasses, respectively inoculated with PD1 when compared to the uninoculated controls. Fluorescent microscopy using fluorescent protein tagging of PD1 confirmed the presence of bacteria inside the root tissue. Inoculation of willows with PD1 consistently improved the growth and health when grown in hydroponic systems with high concentrations of phenanthrene. To our knowledge this is the first time that the inoculation of willow plants has been shown to improve the degradation of PAHs and improve the health of the host plants, demonstrating the potential wide benefit to the field of natural endophyte-assisted phytoremediation.