Lead Institute
Topics

Secretariat

Elke Graffam
Institute of Biodiversity

Bundesallee 65
38116 Braunschweig
Phone: +49 531 596 2502
Fax: +49 531 596 2599
bd@thuenen.de

How do soil properties affect the survival of bacterial pathogens?

Project

Which soil particle size fractions (clay: < 2 µm; fine silt: < 20 µm; coarse silt and sand: > 20 µm) are preferentially colonized by waste-water bacteria? (c) Thünen-Institut/BD
Which soil particle size fractions (clay: < 2 µm; fine silt: < 20 µm; coarse silt and sand: > 20 µm) are preferentially colonized by waste-water bacteria? (© Thünen-Institut/BD)

Towards safe applications of recycled water in agriculture: Effects of soil properties on the survival of wastewater bacteria and their potential to colonize vegetables

Treated wastewater represents an imporant opportunity to combine water supply with nutrient additions in growing crops and vegatables in regions limited by freshwater. Risks associated with the possible presence of pathogenic bacteria must however first be managed.

Background and Objective

While the risks of the bacterial pathogens in TWW for human and animal health have been identified, the importance of soil to enhance or attenuate these risks is an open question and will be studied in this project. Thereby the project will contribute to ecologically friendly use of water and the production of safe vegetables for domestic markets in Israel and import markets for Germany. 

Approach

Together with our partners in Israel we will conduct field experiments i which melons will be cultivated with treated waste water and in which soil and plant material will be analyzed chemically, biochemically and microbiologically. An emphasis will be placed on next-generation DNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses. 

Field experiment at the Newe Ya'ar Research Center, Israel, May 2015. A: Experimental setup to study TWW irrigation of cucumber plants. B: Setup to study the importance of soil texture.
Field experiment at the Newe Ya'ar Research Center, Israel, May 2015. A: Experimental setup to study TWW irrigation of cucumber plants. B: Setup to study the importance of soil texture. (© Thünen-Institut/BD)
Four week old cucumber plant.
Greenhouse experiment to evaluate effects of soil properties and the importance of the soil-root interface on the potential of wastewater bacteria to colonize vegetables. Four week old cucumber plant. (© Thünen-Institut/BD)

Thünen-Contact


Involved Thünen-Partners


Involved external Thünen-Partners


Funding Body

  • Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE)
    (national, öffentlich)

Duration

11.2014 - 12.2017

More Information

Projekt type:
Project status: finished