Bioprospecting Soil Bacteria from Arid Zones to Increase Plant Tolerance to Drought: Growth and Biochemical Status of Maize Inoculated with Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria Isolated from Sal Island, Cape Verde

Abstract

Climate change and anthropogenic activities are responsible for extensive crop yield losses, with negative impact on global agricultural production. The occurrence of extreme weather events such as drought is a big challenge for agriculture, negatively impacting crops. Thus, methodologies reducing crop dependence on water will be a great advantage. Plant roots are colonized by soil bacteria, that can establish beneficial associations with plants, increasing crop productivity and plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. The aim of this study was to promote plant growth and to increase crop tolerance to drought by inoculation with osmotolerant bacterial strains. For that, bacteria were isolated from plants growing in Sal Island (Cape Verde) and identified. The osmotolerance and plant-growth promotion (PGP) abilities of the strains were determined. A maize seed cultivar tolerant to drought was inoculated with the strains evidencing best PGP capacity and osmo-tolerance. Results evidenced the ability of some bacterial strains increasing the development and inducing osmotolerance in plants. These results evidence the potential of osmotolerant bacteria to further increase the level of tolerance of maize varieties tolerant to drought, decreasing the dependence of this crop on irrigation, and open new perspectives to growth maize in drought affected areas and to use water more efficiently.

Molecular and biochemical responses of sesame (Sesame indicum L.) to rhizobacteria inoculation under water deficit

“…Zhou et al (2022) investigated sweet potato plants under water stress and found proline accumulation associated with positive regulation of SOD and CAT activities. These characteristics help plants cope with drought (Ebrahimi et al, 2016;Cruz et al, 2022). Like other abiotic stresses, drought results in the accumulation of ROS, primarily in chloroplasts and to some extent in mitochondria.…”

Irrigation Scheduling for Maize under Different Hydrological Years in Heilongjiang Province, China

“…In this study, the irrigation schedules were calculated for the different hydrological years during the maize growth period in Heilongjiang Province. In agricultural production, farmers should also be guided to irrigate at the right time and amount, taking into account the actual local conditions including climate, soil, crop growth, and irrigation efficiency [62]. Water-saving technologies and soil moisture conservation measures for crops, such as plastic film mulching and straw incorporation, should be reasonably carried out [63].…”

Plant-Growth-Promoting Bacteria

“…Cruz et al [16] isolated and characterized bacterial strains from Sal Island (Cape Verde) and evaluated their osmotic tolerance and a number of their growth-promotion traits. The osmo-tolerant strains were used to inoculate maize plants, and the drought-tolerance of inoculated plants was evaluated by measuring their germination, growth, and physiological and biochemical parameters.…”