Plant-growth-promoting Bacillus and Paenibacillus species improve the nutritional status of Triticum aestivum L.

Abstract

Wheat is one of the best-domesticated cereal crops and one of the vital sources of nutrition for humans. An investigation was undertaken to reveal the potential of novel bio-inoculants enriching micronutrients in shoot and grains of wheat crop to eliminate the hazards of malnutrition. Sole as well as consortia inoculation of bio-inoculants significantly enhanced mineral nutrients including zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) concentrations in shoot and grains of wheat. Various treatments of bio-inoculants increase Zn and Fe content up to 1–15% and 3–13%, respectively. Sole inoculation of Bacillus aryabhattai (S10) impressively improves the nutritious of wheat. However, the maximum increase in minerals contents of wheat was recorded by consortia inoculation of Paenibacillus polymyxa ZM27, Bacillus subtilis ZM63 and Bacillus aryabhattai S10. This treatment also showed a maximum bacterial population (18 × 104 cfu mL-1) in the rhizosphere. The consortium application of these strains showed up to a 17% increase in yield. It is evident from the results that the consortium application was more effective than sole and co-inoculation. A healthy positive correlation was found between growth, yield, and the accessibility of micronutrients to wheat crops at the harvesting stage. The present investigations revealed the significance of novel bacterial strains in improving the nutritional status of wheat crops. These strains could be used as bio-inoculants for the biofortification of wheat to combat hidden hunger in developing countries.

Co-Inoculation of Bacillus spp. for Growth Promotion and Iron Fortification in Sorghum

“…Our results are similar to results obtained by Prasad and Babu [30], where compatibility was tested between Azospirillum brasilense and Pseudomonas fluorescens for the plant growth promotion of groundnuts. Several studies reported the use of the consortia of various bacterial mixtures for plant growth promotion, nutrient enhancement, abiotic stress management, and biocontrol activities [35,[55][56][57][58].…”

Comparative Analysis of the Cultured and Total Bacterial Community in the Wheat Rhizosphere Microbiome Using Culture-Dependent and Culture-Independent Approaches

“…6 ). Most of these isolates were classified as Bacillus , Paenibacillus , Pseudomonas , Enterobacter , and Sphingomonas spp., all of which are well-known PGPR with beneficial effects on wheat growth and health under controlled and field conditions ( 44 – 46 ). However, these isolates were tested only on the original Pikovskaya medium ( 31 ), which may not be an appropriate diagnostic indicator of phosphate solubilization activity ( 47 ).…”

Plant Growth-Promoting Endophytic Bacillus Aryabhattai Triggers Novel Genes to Induce Plant Growth

“…Recently, inoculation with Bacillus aryabhattai impressively improved the nutritional status of wheat crops [22]. The growth and productivity of rice were positively enhanced through treatment with B. aryabhattai.…”