Effects of Plant-Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) and Cyanobacteria on Botanical Characteristics of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L.) Plants

Abstract

Tomatoes are an important agricultural product because they contain high concentrations of bioactive substances, such as folate, ascorbate, polyphenols, and carotenoids, as well as many other essential elements. As a result, tomatoes are thought to be extremely beneficial to human health. Chemical fertilizers and insecticides are routinely utilized to maximize tomato production. In this context, microbial inoculations, particularly those containing PGPR, may be utilized in place of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In this study, we investigated the effects of PGPR (Bacillus subtilis, and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens) and cyanobacteria when utilized alone, and in conjunction with each other, on the growth, quality, and yield of fresh fruits of tomato plants. The results showed that the inoculation significantly increased all measured parameters of tomato plants compared with the control. Combined use of B. subtilis and B. amyloliquefaciens had a positive impact on tomato yield, increasing fruit yield. Moreover, leaflet anatomical characteristics were altered, with increased thickness of the upper epidermis, lower epidermis, palisade tissue, spongy tissue, and vascular bundles. Tomato fruit quality was improved, as measured by an increased number of fruit per plant (76% increase), fruit weight (g; 33% increase), fruit height (cm; 50% increase), fruit diameter (cm; 50%), total soluble solids (TSS; 26% increase), and ascorbic acid (mg/100 g F.W.; 75% increase), relative to the control, in the first season. In addition, fruit chemical contents (N, P, and K) were increased with inoculation. The results suggest that inoculation with B. subtilis and B. amyloliquefaciens could be successfully used to enhance tomato plant growth and yield.

Combined Effect of the Potassium Dose and Plant Biofertilization by Acinetobacter calcoaceticus on the Growth, Mineral Content, Nutritional Quality, Antioxidant Activity, and Metabolomic Features of Tomatillo Fruits (Physalis ixocarpa Brot.)

“…In a tomato biofertilization study, Yagmur and Gunes [ 15 ] reported that the single use of the strains B. megaterium , Paenibacillus polymxa , Burkholderia cepacia, and Azospirillum sp., increased the TSS, the electric conductivity, and the pH of tomato fruits. In a similar work, Gashash et al [ 37 ] reported that the co-inoculation of the strains B. subtilis and B. amyloliquefaciens produced a beneficial effect on the yield and quality parameters of tomato fruits with respect to the non-inoculated control: the number of fruits per plant (76%), fruit weight (36%), fruit size (50%), ascorbic acid (75%), and in the contents of N, P, and K in the fruit. Additionally, in a work on the inoculation of B. amyloliquefaciens in pepper cultivation [ 25 ], the inoculant applied in the seedbed before transplant resulted in higher contents of protein, fat, Ca, and Fe with respect to the non-inoculated control.…”

Beneath the blooms: Unearthing the effect of rhizospheric bacteria on floral signals and pollinator preferences

“…Sterilization was employed to substantially reduce the diversity of rhizosphere microbes and delay the establishment of the rhizosphere microbiome, as maintaining sterilization in a greenhouse setting is unfeasible. However, other studies involving B. amyloliquefasciens and S. lycopersicum , wherein seed sterilization was omitted, have highlighted a positive impact of PGPR association on tomato traits, increasing the number of fruits per plant in both field conditions (Gashash et al, 2022) and greenhouse setups (Almaghrabi et al, 2013). This suggests that B. amyloliquefasciens can establish colonization within seeds even without the implementation of sterilization procedures.…”

Rationalizing the use of nitrogen mineral fertilizers by using biological and organic alternatives on cucumber crop under arid region of Egypt

“…Also, the percentage increase in number of fruits/plant was (16.77 and11.42%) in the bio-fertilization treatment compared to the treatment without biofertilization in the 1 st and 2 nd seasons. Gashash et al (2022) found that combined use of B. subtilis and B. amyloliquefaciens increased the number of fruit plant -1 (by 76% compared to the control in the first season. Results found that mixed organic fertilization (C3) gave the highest number of fruit/plant (18.30 and 21.80) with increasing percentages (31.65 % and 43.42 %) compared to the other treatments in the 1 st and 2 nd season, respectively.…”