Metabolic Profiling of Endophytic Bacteria in Relation to Their Potential Application as Components of Multi-Task Biopreparations

Abstract

Agricultural crops are exposed to various abiotic and biotic stresses that can constrain crop productivity. Focusing on a limited subset of key groups of organisms has the potential to facilitate the monitoring of the functions of human-managed ecosystems. Endophytic bacteria can enhance plant stress resistance and can help plants to cope with the negative impacts of stress factors through the induction of different mechanisms, influencing plant biochemistry and physiology. In this study, we characterise endophytic bacteria isolated from different plants based on their metabolic activity and ability to synthesise 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase (ACCD), the activity of hydrolytic exoenzymes, the total phenolic compounds (TPC) and iron-complexing compounds (ICC). Test GEN III MicroPlate indicated that the evaluated endophytes are highly metabolically active, and the best used substrates were amino acids, which may be important in selecting potential carrier components for bacteria in biopreparations. The ACCD activity of strain ES2 (Stenotrophomonas maltophilia) was the highest, whereas that of strain ZR5 (Delftia acidovorans) was the lowest. Overall, the obtained results indicated that ∼91.3% of the isolates were capable of producing at least one of the four hydrolytic enzymes. In addition, most of the tested strains produced ICC and TPC, which play a significant role in reducing stress in plants. The results of this study suggest that the tested endophytic bacterial strains can potentially be used to mitigate climate change-associated stresses in plants and to inhibit plant pathogens. Graphical Abstract

In Vitro Studies of Endophytic Bacteria Isolated from Ginger (Zingiber officinale) as Potential Plant-Growth-Promoting and Biocontrol Agents against Botrytis cinerea and Colletotrichum acutatum

“…Among the strains studied, Lysinibacillus macroides J22 and Lelliottia amnigena J21 stood out for their abilities to produce esterase, lipase, and protease enzymes. Recent research indicates that endophytic bacteria tend to prominently produce lipases and esterases compared to other enzymes, which is attributed to their adaptation to the metabolic environment of the host tissue and environmental conditions [51]. Furthermore, it has been documented that the lipolytic activity of endophytic bacteria, particularly the production of lipase and esterase, is crucial due to their involvement in the hydrolysis of major components of the cell walls of phytopathogenic fungi [17].…”