Selection and Characterisation of Elite Mesorhizobium spp. Strains That Mitigate the Impact of Drought Stress on Chickpea

María Camacho, Francesca Vaccaro, Pilar Brun, Francisco Javier Ollero, Francisco Pérez-Montaño, Miriam Negussu, Federico Martinelli (), Alessio Mengoni, Dulce Nombre Rodriguez-Navarro and Camilla Fagorzi ()
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María Camacho: IFAPA Centro Las Torres Tomejil, 41200 Sevilla, Spain
Francesca Vaccaro: Department of Biology, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
Pilar Brun: IFAPA Centro Las Torres Tomejil, 41200 Sevilla, Spain
Francisco Javier Ollero: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Universidad de Sevilla, 41004 Seville, Spain
Francisco Pérez-Montaño: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Universidad de Sevilla, 41004 Seville, Spain
Miriam Negussu: Department of Biology, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
Federico Martinelli: Department of Biology, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
Alessio Mengoni: Department of Biology, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
Dulce Nombre Rodriguez-Navarro: IFAPA Centro Las Torres Tomejil, 41200 Sevilla, Spain
Camilla Fagorzi: Department of Biology, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-17

Abstract: The chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L.) is a key legume crop in Mediterranean agriculture, valued for its nutritional profile and adaptability. However, its productivity is severely impacted by drought stress. To identify microbial solutions that enhance drought resilience, we isolated seven Mesorhizobium strains from chickpea nodules collected in southern Spain and evaluated their cultivar-specific symbiotic performance. Two commercial cultivars (Pedrosillano and Blanco Lechoso) and twenty chickpea germplasms were tested under growth chamber and greenhouse conditions, both with and without drought stress. Initial screening in a sterile substrate using nodulation assays, shoot/root dry weight measurements, and acetylene reduction assays identified three elite strains (ISC11, ISC15, and ISC25) with superior symbiotic performance and nitrogenase activity. Greenhouse trials under reduced irrigation demonstrated that several strain–cultivar combinations significantly mitigated drought effects on plant biomass, with specific interactions (e.g., ISC25 with RR-98 or BT6-19) preserving over 70% of shoot biomass relative to controls. Whole-genome sequencing of the elite strains revealed diverse taxonomic affiliations—ISC11 as Mesorhizobium ciceri , ISC15 as Mesorhizobium mediterraneum , and ISC25 likely representing a novel species. Genome mining identified plant growth-promoting traits including ACC deaminase genes (in ISC11 and ISC25) and genes coding for auxin biosynthesis-related enzymes. Our findings highlight the potential of targeted rhizobial inoculants tailored to chickpea cultivars to improve crop performance under water-limiting conditions.

Keywords: Mesorhizobium spp.; chickpea; drought stress; plant-microbe interaction; nitrogen fixation; bioinoculants; genotype-by-genotype interaction (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: 2025
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