Effects of a genetically modified potato line with altered starch metabolism on carbon fluxes within the plant-soil system and on microbial community structure and function in the rhizosphere.

In the present Ph.D. thesis, a genetically modified amylopectin-accumulating potato line (Solanum tuberosum L.), generated by the Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft (LfL), was investigated for its potential effect on root-associated microbial communities in greenhouse and field, using genotypic and phenotypic markers. Furthermore, carbon fluxes within plant-rhizosphere-microbes were traced through 13C-CO2 labelling. The genetically modified line was compared to its parental cultivar and a second non-transgenic commercial potato variety. The results revealed no difference between the genetically modified line and its parental cultivar, whereas the two natural potato cultivars varied significantly. Moreover, the plant developmental stage affected the examined parameters considerably