MSc Thesis Defense: Ayşenur Sözeri, EFFECT OF Delftia tsuruhatensisISOLATED FROM YAZLIK ILICASI-GÖLCÜK HOT SPRINGS AND A PLANT COMPOST-DERIVEDMICROBIAL CONSORTIUM ON IRON AND SULFUR NUTRITION IN DURUM WHEAT (Triticum durumcv. Durusa), Date & Time: 21 July
EFFECT OF Delftia tsuruhatensis ISOLATED FROM YAZLIK ILICASI-GÖLCÜK HOT SPRINGS AND A PLANT COMPOST-DERIVED MICROBIAL CONSORTIUM ON IRON AND SULFUR NUTRITION IN DURUM WHEAT (Triticum durum cv. Durusa)
Ayşenur Sözeri
Molecular Biology,Genetics and Bioengineering, MSc Thesis, 2026
Thesis Jury
Prof. Levent Öztürk (Thesis Advisor)
Assoc. Prof. Ogün Adebali
Asst. Prof. Bahar Soğutmaz Özdemir
Date & Time: 21st, July 2026 – 3.30 PM
Place: FENS L061
Zoom Link: https://sabanciuniv.zoom.us/j/
Keywords : iron deficiency, sulfur deficiency, sulfur iron crosstalk, sulfur oxidizing bacteria, compost derived microbial consortium
Abstract
Iron (Fe) is an essential element both for humans and plants. One third of world’s arable lands are low in Fe, causing two billion people to suffer from Fe deficiency. The importance of S deficiency for agriculture started to be recognized in the last couple of decades. Sulfur is not only a crucial element for several metabolic processes, but it is also in close relation with Fe. The availabilities of S and Fe regulate uptake mechanisms of each other. While synthetic fertilizers are commonly used to address nutrient deficiencies in plants, their excessive use presents serious environmental risks. Thus, an integrated approach and a sustainable solution targeting both Fe and S stress are of great importance. With this project, we aimed not only to expand the discussion on S-Fe crosstalk in plant nutrition but also investigate the potential of sulfur oxidizing bacterial strain, Delftia tsuruhatensis, and microbial consortium derived from plant compost to promote growth parameters as well as S and Fe uptake in brown mustard (Brassica juncea L. Czern) and durum wheat (Triticum durum cv Durusa) under different nutritional regimes. Our results confirmed the reciprocal relation between S and Fe, and concluded the potential of D. tsuruhatensis to enhance S uptake in mustard, whereas the effect of unselectively enriched compost microbiome was not profound for plant nutrition.