538 yeast strains were isolated from dark chestnut soil collected from under the plants of the legume family (Fabaceae). The greatest number of microorganisms is found at soil depth 10-20 cm. Among the 538 strains of yeast 77 (14.3%) strains demonstrated the ability to synthesize IAA. 15 strains were attributed to high IAA-producing yeasts (above 10 μg/ml). The most active strains were YA05 with 51.7 ± 2.1 μg/ml of IAA and YR07 with 45.3 ± 1.5 μg/ml. In the study of effect of incubation time on IAA production the maximum accumulation of IAA coincided with maximum rates of biomass: at 120 h for YR07 and at 144 h for strain YA05. IAA production increased when medium was supplemented with the L-tryptophan. 400 μg/ml of L-tryptophan showed maximum IAA production. 10 strains demonstrated the ability to inhibit the growth and development of phytopathogenic fungi. YA05 and YR07 strains formed the largest zones of inhibition compared to the other strains--from 21.6 ± 0.3 to 30.6 ± 0.5 mm. Maximum zone of inhibition was observed for YA05 against Phytophtora infestans and YR07 strains against Fusarium graminearum. YA05 and YR07 strains were identified as Aureobasidium pullulans YA05 (GenBank accession No JF160955) and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa YR07 (GenBank accession No JF160956).

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Soil salinity has become a global issue that is directly related to land degradation and results in many changes in climate, ecosystem services, and biodiversity. The present study focuses on the investigation of beneficial properties of a plant probiotic bacterial strain as an eco-friendly and sustainable approach to promote crop growth in saline soil. The endophytic halotolerant strain Pseudomonas flavescens D5 isolated from common chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) was able to grow on a medium containing 15% NaCl; produced indole-3-acetic acid (45.2 μg mL−1) and polyhydroxyalkanoate (1.72 g L−1); and had amylolytic, cellulolytic, and proteolytic activities. Polyhydroxyalkanoate had a pronounced antifungal activity against Fusarium graminearum, F. solani, F. oxysporum, and Alternaria alternata. Under salt stress conditions, inoculation with Ps. flavescens D5 increased the shoot biomass of barley plants by 8–30%, root biomass by 7–20%, chlorophyll a by 18–52%, and chlorophyll b by 7–15%. The content of proline decreased by 1.5–1.8 times. An increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, guaiacol peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase) was determined. In inoculated plants growing in saline soil, the content of Na+ ions was lower by up to 54.8% compared to control. This strain is promising for stimulating plant growth and protecting them from diseases and other adverse environmental factors, including salt stress.

In this study, 382 isolates of bacterial endophytes from tissues of plants grown in the foothills and piedmont plains of the Trans-Ili Alatau were isolated. It was found that certain strains actively produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in a medium containing l-tryptophan. Among the strains studied, 26 strains (66%) showed a positive response to production of IAA. Bacteria synthesized IAA in the range of 18.6 ± 1.1 to 82.4 ± 2.3 µg/ml. IAA was synthesized more actively by Streptosporangium sp. KK1 (44.1 µg/ml), Rhodococcus sp. KK 2 (42.5 µg/ml), Streptomyces tendae KK3 (44.9 µg/ml) strains. The most active auxin's producer is a Jeotgalicoccus halotolerans BAK1 strain, whose total level of IAA production reached 82.4 µg/ml. Such strains as Streptomyces griseorubiginosis KK4, Streptomyces sp. KK5 and Jeotgalicoccus halotolerans BAK1 were found to have a significant stimulating effect which was reflected in the increase of the length of the roots of soybean and barley. As a result, 8 promising strains with fungicidal, growth-stimulating, phosphorus dissolving and enzymatic activities were selected for the further development of highly microbiological preparations for crop research.

Pot experiments with seven agricultural crops were carried out in laboratory conditions to study the effect of fungal strains on their growth and development: soybean (Glycine max), barley (Hordeum vulgare), alfalfa (Medicago sativa), rapeseed (Brassica napus), safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis), sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia). Five fungal strains with biotechnologically valuable properties were used: P. bilaiae Pb14, P. bilaiae C11, T. pinophilus T14, Aspergillus sp. D1 and B. bassiana T7. Inoculation with fungal strains increased theshoot length of seedlings by 14-33%, the root length by 13-29%, the shoot dry weight by 12-31%, the root dry weight by 15-30% compared to the controls.The application of fungal strains had a stimulating effect on the photosynthetic activity of plants by increasing the content of chlorophyll in the leaves of seedlings. There was an increase in the content of chlorophyll a by 8-16%, chlorophyll b - by 9-17%.

The possibility of application of micromycetes (strains Penicillium bilaiae Pb14, Aureobasidium pullulans YA05 and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa YR07) to increase yields of soybean (Glycine max cv Almaty) and barley (Hordeum vulgare cv Arna) was estimated. It was shown that the most positive effect on germination energy and seed germination after seed treatment with liquid culture, supernatant and filtrate, is achieved at 1:5 dilution. In studying the influence of cell-associated and extracellular biologically active compounds of micromycetes (liquid culture and supernatant) on biometric parameters of seedlings, the maximum stimulating effect was observed in the variants with liquid culture. These strains of micromycetes were used as a bases for various compositions of preparations - application of each strain separately and application of micromycetes mixes. In microfield experiments, the increase of soybean yield ranged from 4.5 to 9.4 quintal/ha, barley - from 2.9 to 5.9 quintal/ha. A significant increase in various parameters of structure of the yield was shown in all experimental variants when compared to the control. It was found that an increase in soybean and barley yields and yield components was higher in the variant with a mix of micromycetes when compared to the separate application of each strain. The most efficient mixture was based on the mix of fungal strains (culture filtrate of P. bilaiae Pb14 diluted 1:5 + liquid cultures of A. pullulans YA05 and Rh. mucilaginosa YR07 in a 1:5 dilution).

Due to the increasing use and accumulation of petrochemical plastics in the environment and the rapid depletion of natural resources, microbial polyhydroxyalkanoates have great potential to replace them. This study provides new insights in the field of obtaining of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from endophytic bacterial strains and applying them as potential biocontrol agents against postharvest diseases of apples. Two strains—Pseudomonas flavescens D5 and Bacillus aerophilus A2—accumulated PHAs in amounts ranging from 2.77 to 5.9 g L−1. The potential to use low-cost substrates such as beet molasses and soapstock for PHA accumulation was shown. The PHAs produced by the Ps. flavescens D5 strain had pronounced antagonistic activity against Penicillium expansum (antifungal property = 62.98–73.08%). The use of PHAs as biocontrol agents significantly reduced the severity of apple blue mold, especially in the preventive treatment option.