Microbial Assisted Foliar Feeding of Micronutrients Enhance Growth, Yield and Biofortification of Wheat

Abstract

Micronutrient malnutrition caused by inadequate dietary intake is a global nutritional problem of more than half of world's population. Fortification is expensive while biofotification is a natural approach and considered better than fortification. Biofotification of wheat with micronutrients especially zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) is a relatively new public approach to control deficiencies of these nutrients in flour/diet in developing countries. This research study is comprised of results of field experiment to examine the effects of foliar feeding of micronutrients along with endophytic bacteria on growth, yield and nutrient uptake of wheat. Compared with control (without foliar feeding of micronutrients), foliar application on wheat with endophytic bacteria increased the plant height, leaf area, spike length and plant biomass by 13.53, 41.67, 55.07 and 42.50% respectively. It was observed that Zn and Fe concentration enhanced in grains up to 37.93 and 10.14% respectively with the combine application of micropower and endophytic bacteria. These results elucidate that foliar feeding of micronutrients effectively biofortified wheat grains. Furthermore, foliar feeding of micronutrients along with endophytic bacteria could be used as an easy, quick and cost-effective approach to enrich wheat flour with health essential micronutrients for correcting malnutrition.

Bacillus sp. and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi consortia enhance wheat nutrient and yield in the second-year field trial: Superior performance in comparison with chemical fertilizers

“…The mechanism by which PGPB, in combination with AMF, stimulated plant growth is attributed to production of auxins, phosphate solubilisation and other plant growth-promoting traits (Yadav et al, 2020). Similarly, our results in terms of micro and macronutrient enhancement in wheat grains agree with several reports that emphasize the importance of microbe-assisted crop biofortification (Kaur et al, 2020;Shi et al, 2020;Yaseen et al, 2018). One of the possible mechanisms for CP4+AHP3+AMF-mediated Fe uptake may be due to direct induction of root growth as well as increased iron (Fe) bioavailability.…”

Cross Talk Between Zinc-Solubilizing Bacteria and Plants: A Short Tale of Bacterial-Assisted Zinc Biofortification

“…A very few studies over the past decade have deciphered the essential role of endophytes in biofortification in combating malnutrition from micronutrients, particularly selenium (109,110). A few microbial inocula also showed Zn biofortification in staple crops such as wheat (9,31,111,112). Wang et al (108) illustrated the increased level of Zn in rice in response to two endophytes, namely "Sphingomonas sp.…”

Polymer-Paraburkholderia phytofirmans PsJN Coated Diammonium Phosphate Enhanced Microbial Survival, Phosphorous Use Efficiency, and Production of Wheat

“…Originally isolated from surface-sterilized Glomus vesiculiferum-infected onion roots, strain PsJN has been shown to colonize a wide variety of plants (e.g., potato, tomato, wheat, maize and grapevines [16,17]) and it stimulates plant growth and vitality in many of its host plants due to variety of its beneficial growth promoting traits e.g., hormone production, nutrient solubilization, ACC-deaminase and siderophore production under lab and greenhouse conditions. Inoculum of the selected strains was prepared in LB broth containing spectinomycin (100 g mL −1 ) and adjusted uniform population of bacteria 10 8 -10 9 CFU −mL for inoculation [17,18]. Selected endophytic strain i.e., Paraburkholderia phytofirmans PsJN inoculum and polymer (Na-alginate) solution was prepared by mixing polymer in inoculum in such a manner that concentration of each polymer remained constant.…”