Improving Productivity of Some Bread Wheat Cultivars under Water Deficit Stress Using Endophytic Bacillus sp. NGB-WhE3

Abstract

Egyptian Journal of Botanyhttp://ejbo.journals.ekb.eg/ 21 P LANT growth-promoting endophytic bacteria (PGPEB) are beneficial microbes that can be applied to improve plant responses to drought stress. In this study, seven bacterial isolates were purified from the root-endosphere of field-grown wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in Egypt. Bacterial isolates were identified and in-vitro screened for plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits and water deficit stress alleviation. Then, the effect of bacterial inoculation on growth promotion and performance of wheat was investigated under full irrigation and water deficit stress in greenhouse and field experiments. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, three isolates were classified as Bacillus sp., whereas, four isolates were identified as Enterobacter, Paenibacillus, Pseudomonas, and Sphingomonas sp. All isolates produced indole acetic acid, solubilized inorganic phosphate, secreted siderophore, and exhibited tolerance to osmotic stress. Under greenhouse conditions, growth, shoot-N content and leaf proline content of wheat plants inoculated with most bacterial isolates were significantly (P< 0.05) increased under both normal irrigation and water deficit stress (50% water holding capacity). Based on greenhouse results, Bacillus sp. strain NGB-WhE3 was evaluated to alleviate water deficit stress on five wheat cultivars (Giza 171, Misr 1, Misr 3, Shandaweel 1, and Sids 14) in two-year field trials. Bacterial inoculation significantly (P< 0.05) improved the agronomic traits and some physiological characteristics of wheat plants under water deficit stress than the uninoculated control. Grain yield of inoculated wheat plants showed significant (P< 0.05) increases from 5.6 to 14.6% under normal irrigation and from 3.2 to 12.5% under water deficit stress.

Screening of Wheat Genotypes for Water Stress Tolerance Using Soil–Water Relationships and Multivariate Statistical Approaches

“…Related species differ significantly regarding the way they respond to drought stress, even within the same variety and genotype [49,50]. Drought adversely affects wheat cultivars' morphological and physiological characteristics [92], resulting in a 50-90% decrease in wheat yields [2]. The coefficient of variation value was 5.46%, indicating that the experiment has a good degree of precision since this value is less than 10 [93].…”

Marine and Salt-Tolerant Microorganisms as Promising Plant Growth Promoting Bioinoculants for Plant Stress Mitigation and Sustainable Agriculture

“…These inoculants are considered environmentally safe, sustainable, chemical-free, and cost-effective alternatives to traditional chemical fertilizers, cropbreeding, and genetic engineering options (Baez-Rogelio et al, 2017;Eida et al, 2020). These beneficial biological inoculants, including plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs), enhance plant resistance or tolerance to diverse stresses (Latif, et al, 2021;Abd El-Megeed et al, 2022). Among the most challenging abiotic stresses are heat, salinity, drought, and heavy metals contamination (Eida et al, 2020).…”

Biological Aspects and Proline Metabolism Genes Influenced by Polyethylene Glycol and Salicylic Acid in Two Wheat Cultivars

“…Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), a widely cultivated crop in Egypt and worldwide, is considered one of the most important crops domestically and internationally, especially as the source of staple foods, such as bread (Mohammed & Faisal, 2021;Abd El-Megeed & Mohiy, 2022). Drought is one of the most challenging threats to crop cultivation due to the numerous adverse effects on the biochemical and physiological mechanisms in plants (Loutfy et al, 2011;Hasanuzzaman et al, 2013), consequently, drought causes huge crop losses annually, including loss of grain harvests.…”