Phosphate-Solubilizing Enterobacter ludwigii AFFR02 and Bacillus megaterium Mj1212 Rescues Alfalfa’s Growth under Post-Drought Stress

Sang-Mo Kang, Muhammad-Aaqil Khan, Muhammad Hamayun, Lee-Rang Kim, Eun-Hae Kwon, Yo-Sep Kang, Ki-Yong Kim, Jae-Jeong Park and In-Jung Lee
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Sang-Mo Kang: Department of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Muhammad-Aaqil Khan: Department of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Muhammad Hamayun: Department of Botany, Abdul Wali Khan University, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mardan 23200, Pakistan
Lee-Rang Kim: Department of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Eun-Hae Kwon: Department of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Yo-Sep Kang: Department of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Ki-Yong Kim: National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration (RDA), Cheonan 31000, Korea
Jae-Jeong Park: Department of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
In-Jung Lee: Department of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 6, 1-16

Abstract: Drought stress is a prevalent environmental stress that adversely affects agricultural industries worldwide. In this study, bacterial isolates, AFFR02 and Mj1212, showed tolerance to polyethylene glycol-induced (PEG) drought stress (approximately 15%) and possess strong phosphate-solubilizing capacity. Moreover, we investigated the plant growth attributes, chlorophyll content, and ion uptake in alfalfa plants ( Medicago sativa L) inoculated with isolates AFFR02 and Mj1212 under drought stress. We observed that drought stress drastically affects alfalfa’s growth attributes: shoot length: SL (24.88%), root length: RL (29.62%), shoot fresh weight: SFW (49.62%), root fresh weight: RFW (45.09%), stalk diameter: SD (52.84%), and chlorophyll content: CC (19.2%). However, in bacterial-inoculated alfalfa plants, the growth attributes significantly recovered were SL (12.42%), RL (21.30%), SFW (50.74%), RFW (46.42%), SD (76.72%), and CC (17.98%). In drought-stressed alfalfa plants, we observed a significant decrease in the relative water content (7.45%), whereas there was an increase in electrical conductivity (68.87%) and abscisic acid contents (164.42%). Antioxidant analysis showed a significant increase in total phenolic content (46.08%), DPPH-scavenging activity (39.66%), total flavonoid (13.68%), and superoxide dismutase (28.51%) in alfalfa treated with drought stress and bacterial isolates AFFR02 and Mj1212 simultaneously. Moreover, an increase in inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis of potassium (17.98%), phosphorous (11.14%), calcium (3.07%), and magnesium (6.71%) was recorded for bacteria-inoculated alfalfa plants under drought stress. In conclusion, bacterial isolates AFFR02 and Mj1212 enhance alfalfa growth under drought stress. Therefore, the isolates could be used as potential candidates in smart-climate agricultural practices in drought-stricken areas worldwide.

Keywords: phosphate solubilization; bacterial isolates; drought stress; growth attributes; antioxidants (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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