Johanna Liesbeth Kubelka Dobereiner, Czech-born Brazilian agricultural microbiologist (Usti nad Labem 28 November 1924 – Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro State 05 October 2000)
Daughter of chemical engineer Paul Kubelka (1900-1956)
Authored over 500 scientific works
ACHIEVEMENTS
First described association between nitrogen fixation bacteria and Graminae (1974)
With Von Bulow described the presence of Spirillum-like bacteria in roots of maize plants (1975)
Described association between nitrogen fixation bacteria and sugar cane (1988)
Introduced the endophyte concept to the field of biological nitrogen fixation (1992)
First to propose nitrogen-free semi-solid medium for isolating nitrogen-fixing bacteria (1973), developed the NFb (1975) and described it (1976)
METHODS
With V.M. Reis & F.L. Olivares. Improved methodology for isolation of Acetobacter diazotrophicus and confirmation of its endophytic habitat. World J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 10:401-5, 1994
With V.M. Reis, F.L. Olivares, A.L.M. Oliveira, F.B. Reis Jr & J.I. Baldani. Technical approaches to inoculate micropropagated sugar cane plants with Acetobacter diazotrophicus. Pl. Soil 296:205-11, 1999
DESCRIBED NEW BACTERIA TAXA
Genera
Azospirillum 1979 with Tarrand & Krieg
Herbaspirillum 1986 with Baldani, Baldani & Seldin
Species
Azorhizophilus paspali 1966
Azospirillum amazonense 1984 with Magalhães, Baldani, Souto & Kuykendal
Azospiriullum brasiliense 1979 with Tarrand & Krieg
Beijerinckia fluminensis 1958 with Ruschel
Burkholderia brasiliensis 1997 with Baldani, Oliveira, Balota, Baldani & Kirchhof
Gluconacetobacter diazetrophicus 1988 with Gillis, Kersters, Hoste, Janssens et al.
Herbaspirillum seropedicae 1986 with Baldani, Baldani & Seldin
HONORS
Doctor Honoris Causa, University of Florida (1975)
Houssay Prize, OAS (1979)
Honor in the 12th International Congress of Soil Science, New Delhi (1982)
UNESCO Science Prize (1989)
Mexico Award for Science & Technology (1992)
TWAS Medal & Lecture Award (1995)
20th Century Award for Achievement (1997)
Chemistry Nobel Prize nominee (1997)