Soil Microbiology

Lectures

1. Introduction-The importance of microorganisms in the soil environment. Soil microorganisms.

2. Ecology of microbial populations in the soil-Ecological categories of interactions of soil microbial communities.

3. Methods of determination and analysis of microbial diversity in the soil.

4. Overview of microbial metabolism.

5. Nitrogen metabolism in the soil (ammonification, nitrification, denitrification), symbiotic and non-symbiotic nitrogen fixation.

6. The metabolism of sulfur, phosphorus, iron, etc.

7. Rhizosphere and spermosphere. Production and applications of microbial vaccines.

8. Interactions between plants and soil microorganisms, symbiotic and non-symbiotic bacteria, biological control of soil-borne pathogens.

9. Symbiotic and saprotrophic fungi - Mycorrhizae.

10. Detection of microorganisms in agricultural habitats.

11. Metabolism of xenobiotic compounds in the soil, bioremediation of burdened soils.

12. Production of organic soil improvers.

13. Microbiology of degraded soils - Rehabilitation of degraded soils.

Practical

1.Study of the microbial communities in the soil by direct microscopic observation (contact slide assay)

2. The role of microorganisms in the formation of soil aggregates

3. The method of successive dilutions for the isolation and enumeration of soil microbial populations (Dilution plates)

4. The most probable number method for estimating the size of free-living nitrogen-fixing soil populations (MostProbable Number).

5. Isolation of genomic DNA from soil samples and applications.

6. Mycorrhizae (interactions of plant root system and microorganisms).