Multitrait Pseudomonas sp. isolated from the rhizosphere of Bergenia ciliata acts as a growth-promoting bioinoculant for plants

Abstract

Multifunctional plant growth-promoting bioinoculants are used to enhance growth, harvest yields, and add economic value to agricultural crops. In this study, such bioinoculant, BC-II-20 (Pseudomonas sp.), was isolated from the rhizospheric soil of a medicinal plant Bergenia ciliata from the Garhwal Himalayas, Uttarakhand, India. After characterization, supplementation with Pseudomonas sp. was used to study growth stimulation in a commercially important medicinal plant, Andrographis paniculata (Kalmegh), and it depicted enhanced physiological growth parameters under controlled conditions. Bacterial seed priming and also supplementation led to early and increased germination and plants displayed better vegetative growth during the entire growth stages. Early initiation of flowers and the appearance of pods occurred in inoculated plants, ultimately leading to the reduction in the life cycle of the plant. At the time of harvesting, there was an increase in the physiological parameters such as shoot length (38%), root length (14%), fresh weight (57%), dry weight (60%), number of panicles, and root branching. Photosynthetic efficiency was also higher, and ultimately, overall plant growth was improved by bacterial inoculation. The eco-friendly and sustainable use of this bioinoculant will provide an alternative to harmful chemical fertilizers and has become increasingly important. In conclusion, we reported a promising bioinoculant having plant growth-promoting traits, which promotes growth and development in A. paniculata and may be applied to other plants also.

Prosystemin N-terminal protein fragments mitigate salt stress damages in tomato plants

“…Recently, it was demonstrated that plant biostimulants are very effective to ameliorate the sustainability and resilience of production systems also under stress conditions (Rouphael et al, 2022). As a matter of fact, since biostimulants are based on molecules or microorganisms that regulate plant physiology and metabolism they may promote plant growth as well as resilience against abiotic stress (Thakur et al, 2023;Di Mola et al, 2021).…”

Community-forming traits play role in effective colonization of plant-growth-promoting bacteria and improved plant growth

“…PGPB is a diverse group of soil-dwelling and endophytic bacteria that inhabit the rhizosphere and endosphere of plants ( Thakur et al., 2023 ), where they form intricate interactions with their host plants and contributes to their growth and overall well-being ( Shoaib et al., 2020 ). Harnessing the full potential of PGPB involves not only identifying beneficial bacterial isolates but also their interactions within the complex microbial communities formed in the rhizosphere ( Bulgarelli et al., 2013 ; Trivedi et al., 2020 ).…”

Meta-analysis of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria interaction with host plants: implications for drought stress response gene expression

“…showed numerous benefits, including enhanced growth, early flowering, and increased production of photosynthetic pigments ( Thakur et al, 2023 ). Moreover, Thakur and Yadav (2023) demonstrated that AB-11, a strain of Streptomyces sp., hold promise as an agent for plant growth promotion, providing an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical fertilizers. The success of their utilisation depends on several factors, such as survival in the soil, ability to interact with the existing microbiota, genetic compatibility with the crop on which they are applied ( Cangioli et al., 2021 ), and environmental factors.…”