Drought Stress Amelioration in Maize ( Zea mays L.) by Inoculation of Bacillus spp. Strains under Sterile Soil Conditions

Muhammad Azeem, Muhammad Zulqurnain Haider, Sadia Javed, Muhammad Hamzah Saleem and Aishah Alatawi
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Muhammad Azeem: Department of Biochemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Muhammad Zulqurnain Haider: Department of Botany, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Sadia Javed: Department of Biochemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Muhammad Hamzah Saleem: College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Aishah Alatawi: Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Tabuk University, Tabuk 71421, Saudi Arabia

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-21

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to promote plant growth characteristics including mineral uptake and various phytohormone production by indigenously isolated Bacillus spp. strains. Plants subjected to normal and water stress conditions were collected after 21 days to measure physiological parameters, photosynthetic pigment estimation, biochemical attributes, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme response modulation. Our results correlated with drought stress amelioration with the inoculation of Bacillus spp. strains BEB1, BEB2, BEB3 and BEB4 under sterile soil condition. Inoculated plants of both maize cultivars showed increases in fresh (56.12%) and dry (103.5%) biomass, plant length (42.48%), photosynthetic pigments (32.76%), and biochemical attributes with enhanced nutrient uptake. The overall maize antioxidant response to bacterial inoculation lowered the malonaldehyde level (59.14%), generation of hydrogen peroxide (45.75%) and accumulation of flavonoid contents in both control and water stress condition. Activity of antioxidant enzymes, catalase (62.96%), peroxidase (23.46%), ascorbate peroxidase (24.44%), and superoxide dismutase (55.69%) were also decreased with the application of bacterial treatment. Stress amelioration is dependent on a specific plant–strain interaction evident in the differences in the evaluated biochemical attributes, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant responses. Such bacteria could be used for enhancing the crop productivity and plant protection under biotic and abiotic stresses for sustainable agriculture.

Keywords: plant growth-promoting bacteria; biological control; abiotic stress; drought tolerance; antioxidants enzymes; plant microbiome (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: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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