WITHDRAWN: Plant growth promoting Bipolaris sp. CSL-1 mitigate salinity stress in soybean via altering endogenous phytohormonal level, antioxidants and genes expression

Abstract

Background Salinity stress is one of the most devastating environmental stress that inhibits plants growth and development. Many strategies including plant growth promoting fungi have been reported to mitigate salt stress. Results In this study, we adopted environmental friendly technique and screened different plant growth promoting fungi for different PGP traits and salinity stress. Among these isolate CSL1 were selected based on the basis of plant growth promoting characteristics producing IAA, GAs, organic acid and tolerance to NaCl stress. Furthermore, inoculation of fungal isolate CSL1 significantly increased shoot length (16%), root length (37%), shoot fresh and dry weight (19% and 25%), root fresh and dry weight (47 and 51%) and chlorophyll content (24%) under NaCl stress (200 mM). Endogenous ABA level (0.77 folds) were significantly decreased while SA contents (16%) were increase in CSL1 inoculated plants under NaCl stress. Similarly, higher level of antioxidants such as MDA (2 folds), SOA (29%), POD (8 folds) and PPO (3 folds) was observed in NaCl treated non-inoculated plants. ICP analysis showed an increase in Na+ (11 folds) and decrease in K+ content (15%). Furthermore, CSL-1 inoculation improved soybean adaptability against NaCl stress and a significant decrease in GmFDL19 expression (5 folds) GmNARK (4 folds) and GmSIN1 (3 folds) was observed. However, higher expression of GmAKT2 (15%) were observed in CSL-1 treated plants. Conclusion Fungal isolate CSL-1 have capability to mitigate salinity stress in soybean, increase plant growth and could be used as valuable ecofriendly microorganism resource, low cost based biotechnological approach for sustainable agriculture in salt affected areas.

Composition and Diversity of the Culturable Endophytic Community of Six Stress-Tolerant Dessert Plants Grown in Stressful Soil in a Hot Dry Desert Region

“…Plants inhabited with the endophyte were effectively overcome free radicals induced by stress [ 63 ]; application of the endophyte, Aspergillus awamori improved the performance of mung bean seedlings in terms of antioxidant enzymes, biochemical measures, seedling growth, ionic status and indole acetic acid content of the plant under salt stress [ 64 ]; inoculation of the endophyte, Aspergillus niger enhanced thermal stress tolerance of soybean and sunflower through antioxidant and metabolic pathways [ 65 ]; administration of the endophyte, Bipolaris sp. CSL-1 attenuate the effects of salinity stress on soybean via changing antioxidant status, endo-hormones and expression of stress-related genes [ 66 ]; colonization of a salt-susceptible rice variety by the endophytic fungus, Fusarium sp. resulted in reducing the number of alternative splicing occurrences under saline stressful conditions [ 67 ] and the co-cultivation of tomato seedlings and the endophyte Fusarium solani confer protection against the strong detrimental effects of drought under laboratory conditions [ 68 ].…”