Plant‐growth‐promoting rhizobacteria isolated from a Calcisol in a semi‐arid region of Uzbekistan: biochemical characterization and effectiveness

Bacteria were isolated from the rhizosphere of cotton, wheat, alfalfa, and tomato grown in field locations within a semi‐arid region of Uzbekistan. Strains were identified as Pseudomonas denitrificans, P. rathonis, Bacillus laevolacticus, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, and Arthrobacter simplex. The isolated strains produced different enzymes, phytohormone auxin and were antagonists against specific plant‐pathogenic fungi. Most of the strains are tolerant with respect to salt and temperature. All of the bacterial strains isolated in this study have been found to increase plant growth of wheat and maize in pot experiments.     

Microbial activity and hydrolase activities during decomposition of root exudates released by an artificial root surface in Cd-contaminated soils

The aim of this study was to assess the stimulatory effects of different low molecular weight organic compounds commonly present in root exudates on microbial activity and hydrolase activities, and the effects of high Cd concentrations in sandy soils collected from contaminated field plots on the stimulatory effects. Glucose, glutamic acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, or a mixture of all compounds were released by an artificial root surface in a simplified rhizosphere system. The effects were measured at <2 mm (rhizosphere soil layer) and >4 mm (bulk soil layer) distance from the root surface, 7 d after the root exudates release. Results showed that different root exudates were mineralized at different extent and had different stimulatory effects on microbial growth estimated by dsDNA content of soil, and on hydrolase activities, mostly localized in the rhizosphere soil layer. Mineralization of root exudates, microbial growth and stimulation of most of the measured hydrolase activities were drastically reduced by high Cd concentrations in soil.     

Selection for root colonising bacteria stimulating wheat growth in saline soils

High salinity of soils in arid and semi-arid regions results in desertification and decreased crop yield. One possibility to circumvent this problem is to use root colonising salt tolerant bacterial inoculants which can alleviate salt stress in plants. In the present work, the best five enhanced wheat root tip coloniser bacteria were selected from the rhizosphere of wheat grown in saline soil and were identified by the 16S rRNA gene sequence as Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas extremorientalis, Pseudomonas chlororaphis and Pseudomonas aurantiaca. The isolates tolerated salt of 5% NaCl and produced indole acetic acid under saline conditions. Four isolates proved to be very efficient in promoting a significant increase in the shoot, root and dry matter of wheat and were able to survive in saline soil. Four of the isolated strains appeared to be better competitive colonisers than reference strains and probably outcompeted with indigenous microorganisms of the rhizosphere. These results are promising for the application of selected environmentally save microbes in saline agricultural soils.     

Bacteria able to control foot and root rot and to promote growth of cucumber in salinated soils

The aim of the present work was to test known bacterial plant growth-promoting strains for their ability to promote cucumber plant growth in salinated soil and to improve cucumber fruit yield by protecting these plants against soil-borne pathogens. Fifty-two plant-beneficial bacterial strains were evaluated for their ability to protect plants against cucumber foot and root rot after bacterization of the seeds and infestation of salinated soil with the isolated Fusarium solani pathogen. Based on the results of initial screenings, five efficient strains were selected, namely Serratia plymuthica RR-2-5-10, Stenotrophomonas rhizophila e-p10, Pseudomonas fluorescens SPB2145, Pseudomonas extremorientalis TSAU20, and P. fluorescens PCL1751. All five strains are salt tolerant since they grow well in a medium to which 3% NaCl was added. Infestation of the soil with F. solani resulted in an increase of the percentage of diseased plants from 17 to 54. Priming of seedlings with the five selected bacterial strains reduced this proportion to as low as 10%. In addition, in the absence of an added pathogen, all five strains showed a significant stimulatory effect on cucumber plant growth, increasing the dry weight of whole cucumber plants up to 62% in comparison to the non-bacterized control. The strains also increased cucumber fruit yield in greenhouse varying from 9% to 32%. We conclude that seed priming with the selected microbes is a very promising approach for improving horticulture in salinated soils. Moreover, allochthonous strains isolated from non-salinated soil, from a moderate or even cold climate, and from other plants than cucumber, functioned as well as autochthonous strains as cucumber-beneficial bacteria in salinated Uzbek soils. These results show that these plant-beneficial strains are robust and they strongly suggest they can also be used successfully in case the climate gets warmer and the soils will become more salinated. Finally, the mechanisms by which they may exert their plant-beneficial action are discussed.     

Co-inoculation of Pseudomonas spp. with Rhizobium improves growth and symbiotic performance of fodder galega (Galega orientalis Lam.)

The effect of Rhizobium galegae alone and in combination with root colonising Pseudomonas strains on the growth of fodder galega (Galega orientalis Lam.) was studied under greenhouse conditions in potting soil containing low levels of nitrogen. Eight weeks after sowing combined inoculations of fodder galega with R. galegae bv. orientalis HAMBI 540 and Pseudomonas trivialis 3Re27 or Pseudomonas extremorientalis TSAU20 had increased shoot and root dry matter, as compared with inoculation with R. galegae HAMBI 540 alone. Both Pseudomonas strains produced indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in culture but R. galegae did not. While the cellulase producing strain P. trivialis 3Re27 was able to significantly increase nodule numbers and nitrogen content of the co-inoculated plants, the cellulase-negative P. extremorientalis TSAU20 showed no significant stimulation of nodule numbers and nitrogen content in roots. We conclude that P. trivialis 3Re27 improve rhizobia–legume interactions, acting as “rhizobium helper bacteria”. The production of IAA and/or cellulase by Pseudomonas strains may contribute to such a positive effect.     

Secondary salinity effects on soil microbial biomass

Secondary soil salinilization is a big problem in irrigated agriculture. We have studied the effects of irrigation-induced salinity on microbial biomass of soil under traditional cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) monoculture in Sayhunobod district of the Syr-Darya province of northwest Uzbekistan. Composite samples were randomly collected at 0–30 cm depth from weakly saline (2.3 ± 0.3 dS m⁻¹), moderately saline (5.6 ± 0.6 dS m⁻¹), and strongly saline (7.1 ± 0.6 dS m⁻¹) replicated fields, 2-mm sieved, and analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, total C, organic C (C_Org), and extractable C, total N and P, and exchangeable ions (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, Na⁺, Cl⁻, and CO₃²⁻), microbial biomass (C_mic). The Na⁺ and Cl⁻ concentrations were 36-80% higher in strongly saline compared to weakly saline soil. The C_Org concentration was decreased by 10% and C_Ext by 40% by increasing soil salinity, whereas decrease in C_mic ranged from 18-42% and the percentage of C_Org present as C_mic from 8% to 26%. We conclude that irrigation-induced secondary salinity significantly affects soil chemical properties and the size of soil microflora.     

Influence of growth-promoting bacteria on the growth of wheat in different soils and temperatures

Plant-growth-promoting bacteria isolated from the rhizosphere, phyllosphere and soil of the root zone in different climatic regions of Germany and Uzbekistan were analysed for plant-growth-promoting effects and nutrient uptake on winter wheat on different soils and under different temperature regimes. The investigations were carried out in pot experiments using loamy sand and sandy loam soils from Müncheberg, Germany and Calcisol soil from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The temperature and soil types were found to influence growth-promoting effects. Inoculation with bacterial strains Pseudomonas fluorescens PsIA12, Pantoea agglomerans 050309 and Mycobacterium sp. 44 isolated from Müncheberg (semi-continental climate) was found to significantly increase the root and shoot growth of winter wheat at 16 °C compared to 26 °C in loamy sand. Mycobacterium phlei MbP18 and Mycoplana bullata MpB46 isolated from Tashkent (semi-arid climate) were found to significantly increase the root and shoot growth of winter wheat in nutrient-poor Calcisol at 38 °C as well as in nutrient-rich loamy sand at 16 °C. Bacterial inoculation also resulted in significantly higher N, P, and K contents of plant components. The bacteria isolates were able to survive in the rhizosphere and in the soil of winter wheat after root and shoot inoculation.