Impact of Acoustic Vibration on Rhizobium-Legume Symbiosis

Giulia Mozzo ¹, Bruno Bighignoli ¹, Marta Beccaluva ², Diego Comparini ¹

Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Forestry Science and Technology (DAGRI), Università degli Studi di Firenze, Viale delle Idee 30, Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy. ¹, Department of Biology, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Micheli 3, 50121, Florence, Italy. ²

Recent studies suggest that low-frequency acoustic vibrations can affect various biological processes, root apparatus development, seed germination, microbial activities, and plant growth. These innovative approaches offer a potentially effective method for enhancing agricultural practices. Considering the rhizobium-legume symbiosis is sensitive to external factors, this study investigated the effect of low-frequency acoustic vibrations on the interaction. The symbiosis between rhizobia and legumes is essential for the implementation of sustainable agriculture due to its contributions towards synthetic fertilizer reduction dependency. The mechanisms involved in this mutualism are highly complex involving nodulation factors, receptors, infection threads plant responses, and nutrient exchange, which help boost soil fertility, crop resilience to climate change, biodiversity conservation, and, ultimately, high yields without exhausting the natural resource base. In our experiment, the acoustic vibrations were tested on Medicago sativa when inoculated with its symbiotic partner Rhizobium meliloti, putting together four groups of treatments-inoculated and non-inoculated plants under acoustic vibrations with respective controls. The results indicated significantly increased root growth, nodule number and weight, and plant biomass through acoustic vibrations. These findings indicate that low-frequency acoustic vibrations can be an innovative abiotic method to promote rhizobia-legume symbiosis and hence foster sustainable agricultural development. The work is a starting point into some of the aspects of mechanical mechanisms to maximize the plant-microbe interaction advance in sustainable agriculture.

Main author career stage: Postdoc / Fellow

Contribution type: Poster

First choice session: 4. Structure, physiology, and development

Second choice session: 2. Ecology