Bacillus subtilis ER-08, a multifunctional plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium, promotes the growth of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) plants under salt and drought stress

Abstract

IntroductionSustainable agriculture and meeting the world's food needs face considerable obstacles from abiotic stresses such as soil salinity and drought. This critical issue was addressed by our current study, which sought to uncover multi-trait bioinoculants from hostile ecosystems that could help mitigate salinity and drought stresses at the same time.MethodsThe Bacillus subtilis ER-08 (BST) strain was isolated from the halotolerant plant Fagonia cretica which was collected from the Little Rann of Kachchh, India. Various biochemical and molecular approaches were applied for the detailed characterization of the BST isolate.Results and discussionThe BST isolate demonstrated notable plant growth-promoting qualities. Fenugreek seed biopriming was performed using the BST isolate. The effect of BST seed treatment on fenugreek developmental indices as well as abiotic alleviation was examined under greenhouse conditions. The BST produced 83.7 g ml−1 gibberellins (GA3) and 176.1 g ml−1 indole-3 acetic acid. Moreover, hydrogen cyanide, siderophore, exopolysaccharides (EPS), ammonia, cellulase, protease, pectinase, and chitinase were also produced by the BST strain. Interestingly, 52% of Fusarium oxysporum mycelial growth was suppressed by the BST isolate under in vitro conditions. Furthermore, BST isolates functioned well under several abiotic stress conditions, for instance, salinity (4 and 6 ds m−1), pH (5, 7, and 9), drought (PEG6000 at 10%, 20%, and 30%), and temperature (25°C, 35°C, 37°C, and 55°C). This study indicates that the BST strain might serve as an effective bio-inoculant for minimizing the detrimental effects of abiotic stresses.

Enhancing Water Status and Nutrient Uptake in Drought-Stressed Lettuce Plants (Lactuca sativa L.) via Inoculation with Different Bacillus spp. Isolated from the Atacama Desert

“…Among them, the strains ATMLC92021 and ATMLC152021 were closely related to Bacillus subtilis . In previous studies, some strains of this species have been reported to improve the drought tolerance in sugarcane, fenugreek, and wheat [ 26 , 27 , 28 ]. In addition, the strain ATMLC102021 was closely related to B. tequilensis clade; this species was described as osmotic stress-tolerant and presented with the capacity to improve drought stress tolerance in maize, wheat, and eggplant [ 29 , 30 ].…”

Zero budget natural farming components Jeevamrit and Beejamrit augment Spinacia oleracea L. (spinach) growth by ameliorating the negative impacts of the salt and drought stress

“…The leaf area (cm 2 ) was measured by multiplying the leaf width (cm) by the leaf length (cm). Seed germination percentage was noted on 10 days after sowing (DAS), and percent (%) seed germination (Patel et al, 2023a ) was determined using the below mentioned formula:…”

“…The experimental pot soil was investigated twice (before and after JB treatment) for their physicochemical properties in accordance with the methods stated previously (Patel et al, 2023a). The standard serial dilution spread plate method was implemented to partially assess the dominant and viable pot soil microbiome where the microbiome population was quantified as colony forming unit per gram of soil (cfu g −1 soil) (Rao, 2005).…”

Postbiotic production: harnessing the power of microbial metabolites for health applications

“…Postbiotics have specific defense mechanisms that effectively reduce the harmful effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which may degrade nucleic acids, lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins. Antioxidant enzymes, particularly superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), play important roles in combating reactive oxygen species ( Sahoo et al, 2019 ; Aghebati-Maleki et al, 2021 ; Patel et al, 2023 ; Sahoo and Chainy, 2023 ; Patani et al, 2023b ). Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) undergoes a catalytic transformation into molecular oxygen and water through the enzymatic action of CAT, which is ubiquitously found in various biological entities, including probiotics and other living organisms ( He Z. et al, 2019 ).…”