microbes in the garden
01 may 2005 publication
the lead articles of the may 2005 issue of microbiology today are on symbiotic fungi; bacterial and fungal plant diseases; the war on garden weeds; 'broken' tulips; barbeque roulette; bugs within bugs; and home composting.
the threads that bind: symbiotic fungi in the garden (p. 56)
not all fungi cause disease. as alastair fitter explains, plants rely on an association with certain types to supply nutrients essential for their growth.
bacterial and fungal diseases of garden plants (p. 60)
meanwhile roland fox reveals how harmful fungi and bacteria are always lurking in the garden, ready to attack the plants at all stages of development.
soil microbes and the war on garden weeds (p. 64)
rober kremer describes how microbes naturally occurring in the soil can provide an alternative to chemicals to control garden weeds.
'broken' tulips and tulip breaking virus (p. 68)
tulips with striped petals due to a virus infection were all the rage in the 17th century, as explained by alan brun and john walsh.
barbeque roulette (p. 72)
summer barbeques are fun, but as martin adams and simon park discuss, subsequent food poisoning can sometimes spoil the party.
bugs within bugs: symbiotic bacteria in garden insects (p. 76)
many insects are garden pests. angela douglas reveals how, surprisingly, microbes are often unseen helpers in their unwanted activities.
home composting and its role in waste management (p. 80)
rubbish disposal is a worldwide environmental problem. stephen smith and olympia mitaftsi discuss how home composting can make a big contribution to reducing the amount of landfill.
idf report (p. 86)
hamid k. ahmed writes a report on rebuilding microbiology education in iraq.
schoolzone (p. 90)
dariel burdass takes a look at a. tumefaciens, or crown gall, a harmful tumour on trees an shrubs caused by bacteria. kath crawford reports on an event, supported by the society, designed to help train student biology teachers.
gradline (p. 92)
jane westwell gives advice to postdocs who may be interested in working in life science commercialisation, and speaks to member alain richard, the director of commercialization, of life sciences, at valeo management.
going public (p. 96)
faye jones reports on some of the activities the society was involved in, including the microbiology awareness campaign.
comment - plant pathogens on the move (p. 100)
the british love affair with gardening - some consequences explained by béatrice henricot and caroline gorton.
