Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria isolated from cultivated soils using Glycine max L. plants as bait

Abstract

The current production of major crops, such as Glycine max L., has become increasingly adept on the use of bio-inputs, such as application of plant growth-promoting inocula. However, the evaluation of the potential of bacterial isolates from soils with different time histories of agricultural use are still scarce, and methods for isolation and testing of multifunctional microorganisms need to be continuously innovated and improved. Thus, we used G. max bait plants to attract rhizobacteria from soils obtained from three areas with different time histories of soybean cultivation. We evaluated the influence of the management and characteristics of soils on the phosphate-solubilizing bacterial population. We then tested the multifunctional potential of the isolated rhizobacteria for calcium phosphate (CaHPO4) and iron phosphate (FePO4) solubilization, considering their potential as microbial inoculants in the future. The use of bait plants enabled the isolation of 139 phosphate solubilizing rhizobacteria, including four strains with multifunctional potential. The largest number of solubilizing bacteria was obtained from the interaction of bait plants with soil from an area with a history of soybean cultivation for thirty consecutive years. The high concentration of P, Fe, and K found in the soil were associated with this occurrence. In the in vitro tests, the pH values of the culture media had a moderate negative relationship with the amounts of P made available by the isolates, indicating that other processes besides the availability of organic acids, may underlie the solubilizing action of the isolates. The rhizobacteria SAF9 (Brevibacillus sp.), SAF11 (Brevibacillus sp.), BRC11 (Pseudomonas fluorescens), and SAC36 (Bacillus velezensis) stood out as multifunctional and are indicated within a perspective of obtaining bioinoculants to promote plant growth directly, indirectly, or synergistically, contributing to increase the range of bio-inputs for soybean cultivation and more sustainable agricultural practices.