UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA KOTA KINABALU, SABAH

FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCE

DIPLOMA IN PLANTING INDUSTRY MANAGEMENT

[AS 110]

AGR 154

BENEFITS OF MICROORGANISM TO HUMAN BEING

AND ENVIRONMENT

PREPARED FOR:

MDM. ROZLIANAH FITRI SAID

PREPARED BY:

A.B. SAHAYATIMAH BINTI ABDUL

[2009482274]

Semester December 2009- April 2010 [Part 2]

DATE of SUBMISSION:

29th January 2010

What is microorganism?

 They are very small organisms’ size belonging to various groups:

 Bacteria

1. Bacteria are unicellular organisms. Because they have no nucleus, the cells
are described as prokaryotic.

2. The three major basic shapes of bacteria are bacillus, coccus, and spiral.

3. Most bacteria have a peptidogly can cell wall; they divide by binary fission;
and they may possess flagella.

 Fungi

1. Fungi (mushroom, molds, and yeasts) have eukaryotic cells (with a true
nucleus). Most fungi are multicellular.

2. Fungi obtain nutrients by absorbing organic material from their environment.

 Virus

1. Viruses are noncellular entities that are parasites of cells.

2. Viruses consist of a nucleic acid core (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein

coat. 

 Nematodes

1. Parasitic roundworms, such as hookworm and pinworm, that causes

disease in humans.

2. Nematode species are very difficult to distinguish

What Are Their Benefits To Us And Environment?

 BACTERIA:

1) Antibiotic effects

 Many types of friendly

bacteria produce their
own antibiotics, although
"replacement-biotic" might
be a better word. That is
because friendly bacteria produce substances that inhibit or "scare" the bad
bacteria, preventing them from forming colonies that eventually cause
problems. Natural antibiotics produced by friendly bacteria do not have any
uncomfortable side effects.

2) Antiviral effects

 Viruses are another pathogen of which we are all aware. The common cold
is a viral infection, as is human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However,
viruses are much harder to treat and destroy than bacteria. To date, there is
no class of drugs known to destroy viruses completely, although there are
antiviral agents that prevent against the virus initially doing damage.
 Some friendly bacteria have antiviral effects, they help prevent a viral
foothold from becoming a serious threat. Although the exact mechanism by
which these bacteria do this is not known, there have been a number of
laboratory tests that indicate that certain strains produce hydrogen peroxide,
which functions as a virus killer. In her book Probiotics, Nature’s Internal
Healers, Natasha Trenev documents several studies in which friendly
bacteria were used to inhibit the herpesvirus.

3) Anticancer effects
  By now, most of us realize that diet can be a risk factor for cancer, a diet
high in animal fat and fried foods may contribute to a number of types of
cancer. One of the reasons for this may be because cancer-causing
substances are produced in the body from the nitrates used in the curing of
luncheon meats. Friendly bacteria have the ability to neutralize nitrates.
 In 1987, Fernandes, et al., (FEMS Microbiology Reviews 46) listed ways that
friendly bacteria may destroy cancer:

1) Some species of friendly bacteria eliminate potentially cancer-causing

substances before they "turn" cancer-causing.
2) Some strains have the ability to alter enzymes that turn a potentially
carcinogenic agent into a carcinogenic agent.

4) Other benefits

 In addition to these three benefits, friendly bacteria also have the ability to

1) Manufacture vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, A, and K, and essential
fatty acids;

2) Aid in the digestive process by helping digest lactose (milk sugar) and
protein;

3) clean the intestinal tract, purify the colon, and promote regular bowel
movements;

4) increase the number of immune system cells;

5) create lactic acid, which balances intestinal pH;

6) Protect us from environmental toxins such as pesticides and pollutants,

reduce toxic waste at the cellular level, and stimulate the repair mechanism of
cells;
 FUNGI:

1) Importance for human use

 Human use of fungi for

food preparation or
preservation and other
purposes is extensive and has a long history: yeasts are required for
fermentation of beer and bread, some other fungal species are used in
the production of soy sauce and tempeh, and mushroom farming and
gathering is a large industry in many countries. Many fungi are
producers of antibiotics, including β-lactam antibiotics such as penicillin
and cephalosporin.[4] Widespread use of these antibiotics for the
treatment of bacterial diseases, such as tuberculosis, syphilis, leprosy,
and many others began in the early 20th Century and continues to play
a major part in anti-bacterial chemotherapy. The study of the historical
uses and sociological impact of fungi is known as ethnomycology.

2) Industrial

 Fungi are also used extensively to produce industrial chemicals like

lactic acid, antibiotics and even to make stonewashed jeans.[8] Several
fungal species are ingested for their psychedelic properties, both
recreationally and religiously

3) Cultured foods

 Baker's yeast or Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a single-cell fungus, is

used in the baking of bread and other wheat-based products, such as
 pizza and dumplings. Several yeast species of the genus
Saccharomyces are also used in the production of alcoholic beverages
through fermentation. Mycelial fungi, such as the shoyu koji mold
(Aspergillus oryzae), are used in the brewing of Shoyu (soy sauce) and
preparation of tempeh. Quorn is a high-protein product made from the
mould, Fusarium venenatum, and is enjoying use in vegetarian
cooking.

4) Ecological role

 Although often inconspicuous, fungi occur in every environment on

Earth and play very important roles in most ecosystems. Along with
bacteria, fungi are the major decomposers in most terrestrial (and
some aquatic) ecosystems, and therefore play a critical role in
biogeochemical cycles and in many food webs. As decomposers, they
play an indispensable role in nutrient cycling, especially as saprotrophs
and symbionts, degrading organic matter to inorganic molecules, which
can then re-enter anabolic metabolic pathways in plants or other
organisms.

5) Benefits of soil fungi

 Fungi that colonize the root zones of plants and surrounding soil can
be beneficial for plant growth. As the fungi enlarge and weave through
the root zones, they send threads, far from the roots, to colonize the
soil and produce water stable aggregates that link up as macro-
aggregates. This maximizes the percolation of moisture and air into
the root zones, improves soil structure and promotes subsurface plant
growth. Once colonization has occurred, the fungi suck up nutrients
 that, in effect, improve the nutritional status of the plant and boost its
ability to resist stresses from drought and disease, as well as pests.

 Inoculating seed with beneficial microbes i.e. CB-QGG, prior to

planting, promotes the establishment of fungi in the root zone. The
benefits associated with this process include enhanced rooting and soil
stabilization, reduced shock, and the establishment of symbiotic
relationships with the plant and other beneficial microbes including
nitrogen fixing microbes and phosphate solubilizing microbes that can
dissolve phosphorus and make it available for plant uptake.
 When seed inoculation is not possible, beneficial microbes i.e. CB-
RSG can be applied after planting. For example, in established
orchards, vineyards, plantations etc. where seed inoculation is
impossible, beneficial microbial combinations, including fungi, can be
injected into the root zones.

 Fungi do however have limitations, including variations in plant

response and the correct species of fungi must be used.

 It is however important to understand that the use of synthetic

chemicals and pesticides can adversely affect the soil microbial
balance and cause the benefits associated with fungi and other
microbes to be lost. Tillage, that disturbs the plant roots, can also have
an adverse effect on soil fungi.  
 VIRUS:

1) Medical
 Adeno-associated virus
(AAV)
 Used in gene therapy
to deliver beneficial
genes to human cells.

2) Materials science and nanotechnology

 Viruses have been used as templates for organizing materials on the
nanoscale because of their size, shape, and well-defined chemical
structures.
 Example:
 Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC, using Cowpea
Mosaic Virus (CPMV) particles to amplify signals in DNA microarray
based sensors.
 Another example is the use of CPMV as a nanoscale breadboard
for molecular electronics.

3) Environment
 Scientists can use and manipulate the viral genome for insertion of
desirable genes into plants by using the viral lysogenic mechanism.
 Virus infection mechanism and plant's response (the hypersensitive
response) can also be studied via virus.
 NEMETODE:

1) Medical
 Hookworm
 Help from suffering multiple
sclerosis, Crohn's Disease
and diabetes through
Hookworm therapy.

2) Agriculture
 Kill garden pests like cutworms, and pest nematodes, like the root-knot
nematode, which attack plants.
 Example:-
 Reduction in H. virescens adult emergence from soil under cotton
plants treated with S. riobravis.
 S. carpocapsae help to control H. zea on corn plants.
 Reduce the incidence of soil borne virus diseases, such as stem pitting in
stone fruit and union necrosis in apple.
 Developing a better understanding of the role of nematodes in soil nutrient
cycling and environmental quality.
 Characterizing and manipulating nematode biodiversity to contribute to
sustainable agriculture.
 Biological control of insects and other pests, and some contribute to soil
fertility by helping cycle nutrients through the soil.

3) Other benefits

 Easy to apply
 Effective.
 Harmless to children, pets, birds and wildlife.
 Unlike many chemicals, can assist wildlife in combating pests without
posing a risk to wildlife itself.
 Perfectly safe to use on food crops.
 They come to you - just order from our nominated suppliers.
 You get the same benefits as commercial growers who have been using
nematode products from Becker Underwood for two decades to control
many pests and not just those most commonly found in the garden.