We report the presence of ACC deaminase in Methylobacterium fujisawaense and its lowering of ethylene levels and promotion of root elongation in canola seedlings under gnotobiotic conditions. To test a part of the previous model proposed for ACC deaminase producing bacteria with Methylobacterium, ACC levels and various enzyme activities were monitored in canola. Lower amounts of ACC were present in the tissues of seeds treated with M. fujisawaense strains than in control seeds treated with MgSO(4). Though the increased activities of ACC synthase in the tissue extracts of the treated seedlings might be due to bacterial indole-3-acetic acid, the amount of ACC was reduced due to bacterial ACC deaminase activity. The activities of ACC oxidase, the enzyme catalyzing conversion of ACC to ethylene remained lower in M. fujisawaense treated seedlings. This consequently lowered the ethylene in plants and prevented ethylene inhibition of root elongation. Our results collectively suggest that Methylobacterium commonly found in soils, as well as on the surfaces of leaves, seeds, and in the rhizosphere of a wide variety of plants could be better exploited to promote plant growth.

In total, 140 halotolerant bacterial strains were isolated from both the soil of barren fields and the rhizosphere of six naturally growing halophytic plants in the vicinity of the Yellow Sea, near the city of Incheon in the Republic of Korea. All of these strains were characterized for multiple plant growth promoting traits, such as the production of indole acetic acid (IAA), nitrogen fixation, phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) solubilization, thiosulfate (S 2 O 3) oxidation, the production of ammonia (NH 3), and the production of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes such as protease, chitinase, pectinase, cellulase, and lipase under in vitro conditions. From the original 140 strains tested, on the basis of the latter tests for plant growth promotional activity, 36 were selected for further examination. These 36 halotolerant bacterial strains were then tested for 1aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity. Twenty-five of these were found to be positive, and to be exhibiting significantly varying levels of activity. 16S rRNA gene sequencing analyses of the 36 halotolerant strains showed that they belong to 10 different bacterial genera: Bacillus, Brevibacterium, Planococcus, Zhihengliuella, Halomonas, Exiguobacterium, Oceanimonas, Corynebacterium, Arthrobacter, and Micrococcus. Inoculation of the 14 halotolerant bacterial strains to ameliorate salt stress (150 mM NaCl) in canola plants produced an increase in root length of between 5.2% and 47.8%, and dry weight of between 16.2% and 43%, in comparison with the uninoculated positive controls. In particular, three of the bacteria, Brevibacterium epidermidis RS15, Micrococcus yunnanensis RS222, and Bacillus aryabhattai RS341, all showed more than 40% increase in root elongation and dry weight when compared with uninoculated saltstressed canola seedlings. These results indicate that certain halotolerant bacteria, isolated from coastal soils, have a real potential to enhance plant growth under saline stress, through the reduction of ethylene production via ACC deaminase activity.

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Free-living nitrogen fixing bacteria were isolated from rhizosphere of seven different plant namely sesame, maize, wheat, soybean, lettuce, pepper and rice grown in Chungbuk Province, Korea. Five isolates with nitrogenase activity above 150nmol(-1) mg(-1) protein were identified based on, phenotypic and 16S rDNA sequences analysis. The strains were identified as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (PM-1, PM-26), Bacillus fusiformis (PM-5, PM-24) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (PM-13), respectively. All the isolates produced indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), in the presence of tryptophan, ranging from 100.4 microg ml(-1) (PM-13) to 255 microg ml(-1) (PM-24). The isolate PM-24 (Bacillus fusiformis) exhibiting highest nitrogenase activity (3677.81 nmol h(-1) mg(-1) protein) and IAA production (255microg ml(-1)) has a promising potential for developing as a plant growth promoting rhizobacteria.

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Salt stress limits crop yield and sustainable agriculture in most arid and semiarid regions of the world. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are considered bio-ameliorators of soil salinity tolerance in plants. In evaluating AMF as significant predictors of mycorrhizal ecology, precise quantifiable changes in plant biomass and nutrient uptake under salt stress are crucial factors. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to analyze the magnitude of the effects of AMF inoculation on growth and nutrient uptake of plants under salt stress through meta-analyses. For this, data were compared in the context of mycorrhizal host plant species, plant family and functional group, herbaceous vs. woody plants, annual vs. perennial plants, and the level of salinity across 43 studies. Results indicate that, under saline conditions, AMF inoculation significantly increased total, shoot, and root biomass as well as phosphorous (P), nitrogen (N), and potassium (K) uptake. Activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase also increased significantly in mycorrhizal compared to nonmycorrhizal plants growing under salt stress. In addition, sodium (Na) uptake decreased significantly in mycorrhizal plants, while changes in proline accumulation were not significant. Across most subsets of the data analysis, identities of AMF (Glomus fasciculatum) and host plants (Acacia nilotica, herbs, woody and perennial) were found to be essential in understanding plant responses to salinity stress. For the analyzed dataset, it is concluded that under salt stress, mycorrhizal plants have extensive root traits and mycorrhizal morphological traits which help the uptake of more P and K, together with the enhanced production of antioxidant enzymes resulting in salt stress alleviation and increased plant biomass.

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This study, framed in two different phases, studied the plant-growth promotion and the induction of systemic resistance in groundnut by Methylobacterium. Seed imbibition with Methylobacterium sp. increased germination by 19.5% compared with controls. Combined inoculation of Methylobacterium sp. with Rhizobium sp. also significantly increased plant growth, nodulation, and yield attributes in groundnut compared with individual inoculation of Rhizobium sp. Methylobacterium sp. challenge-inoculated with Aspergillus niger/Sclerotium rolfsii in groundnut significantly enhanced germination percentage and seedling vigour and showed increased phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), beta-1,3-glucanase, and peroxidase (PO) activities. Under pot-culture conditions, in Methylobacterium sp. seed-treated groundnut plants challenge-inoculated with A. niger/S. rolfsii through foliar sprays on day 30, the activities of enzymes PO, PAL, and beta-1,3-glucanase increased constantly from 24 to 72 hours, after which decreased activity was noted. Five isozymes of polyphenol oxidase and PO could be detected in Methylobacterium-treated plants challenged with A. niger/S. rolfsii. Induced systemic resistance activity in groundnut against rot pathogens in response to methylotrophic bacteria suggests the possibility that pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophic bacteria might be used as a means of biologic disease control.