Enhancement in Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Plants with Application of Roholtiella sp. (Nostocales) under Soilless Cultivation

Abstract

Cyanobacteria are found to be renewable and sustainable additives for growth improvement in crops. Extracts and biomass of three nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria namely, Roholtiella sp. (QUCCCM97), Nostoc ellipsosporum (QUCCCM99), and Desmonostoc danxiaense (QUCCCM112) isolated from Qatar desert environment were tested for their ability to enhance the growth of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) seedlings. Soilless cultivation experiments were carried out by applying the biomass and the aqueous extract of the three cyanobacteria separately. Seedlings were transplanted to Hoagland’s solution under regulated conditions. In total, 2, 4, and 6 mL L−1 of the three microalgae extract as well as 1 and 2 mg L−1 of the three microalgae biomasses (as biofertilizer) were added to the Hoagland solution. An assessment of seedling growth parameters such as shoot length, root length, fresh weight, dry weight, spad index, number of leaves per plant, and growth rate was performed. However, among the different doses and concentrations of investigated QUCCCM97, 99, and 112, our findings revealed that shoot length (cm), root length (cm), fresh weight (g), the number of leaves per plant, and growth rate were positively affected and significantly increased at maximum dose/concentration compared to control plants. With QUCCCM97, shoot length, root length, fresh weight, the number of leaves, and the growth rate increased by 17.5%, 40.3%, 26.0%, 21.6%, and 22.8%, respectively, compared to the control. Additionally, with QUCCCM99, the same parameters increased by 12.3%, 25.3%, 15.1%, 9.3%, 51.8%, respectively. While in presence of QUCCCM112, they increased by 8.7%, 30.1%, 15.6%, 5.4%, 48.6%, respectively. Our results demonstrated that extracts and biomass of cyanobacteria strains investigated here, and particularly Roholtiella sp. (Nostocales), have an enhancement potential of the seedling growth and could be used in modern agriculture to enhance productivity under the soilless system and ensure sustainability.

Application of Cyanobacteria (Roholtiella sp.) Liquid Extract for the Alleviation of Salt Stress in Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Plants Grown in a Soilless System

“…extract in part per million (ppm) contained a considerable amount of Sodium (Na + ) 2.379, Ammonium (NH 4 + ) 0.674, Potassium (K + ) 8.533, Calcium (Ca 2+ ) 1.777, Magnesium (Mg 2+ ) 3.483, Fluoride (F − ) 0.0191, Chloride (Cl − ) 3.168, Nitrate (NO 3 − ) 5.247, Phosphate (PO 4 3− ) 13.67, Sulphate (SO 4 2− ) 0.212. In a like manner, the spectra scan of this strain showed that it contains a reasonable amount of phycoerythrin and phycocyanin [ 17 ].…”

“…However, even at zero salinity level, there was an incremental in the chlorophyll content level because of the growth enhancer potential of the Rholtiella sp. extract [ 17 ]. Generally, the proline accumulation increases faster in stressed plants at different conditions when compared with other amino acids [ 26 ].…”

“…A freshwater filamentous and N-fixing cyanobacteria namely, Roholtiella sp. (QUCCCM97) was selected for this study based on the enhancement potential earlier established on bell pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.) in a previous study conducted [ 17 ]. The strain, isolated from the Qatar desert, belongs to the Qatar University Culture Collection of Cyanobacteria and Microalgae (QUCCCM) [ 51 ].…”

“…This study is an advancement on the previous study [ 17 ] conducted to screen three unknown cyanobacteria strains in which the most effective strain Roholtiella sp. was selected to further investigate its potential benefit as a stress alleviator.…”

“…cyanobacteria, and eukaryotic algae can manufacture their foods using radiant energy, thus they are photoautotrophic microorganisms. The application of microalgae as biostimulants and biofertilizers is gaining popularity as a potential and sustainable alternative to the inorganic fertilizer with a wider acceptance by farmers and agrochemical industries [ 17 ]. Interestingly, several studies have established that microalgae exhibits biostimulants properties that enhance the resistance of crops to the deleterious impacts of abiotic stress mostly salt stress [ 1 , 18 ].…”