Association of plant growth-promoting Serratia spp. with the root nodules of chickpea.
Serratia species-affiliated DNA sequences have recently been discovered in the root nodules of two chickpea cultivars; however, little is known about their potential influence on chickpea plant growth. All Serratia-affiliated sequences (1136) could be grouped into two clusters at 98% DNA similarity. The major cluster, represented by 96% of sequences, was closely associated with Serratia marcescens sequences from GenBank. In the current study, we isolated two Serratia strains, 5D and RTL100, from root nodules of a field-grown Desi cultivar from Faisalabad and Thal areas, respectively. In vitro, strain 5D showed significantly higher phosphate (P) solubilization and lactic acid production than RTL100, whereas a comparable concentration of phytohormone was produced by both isolates. The application of Serratia strain 5D as an inoculum resulted in 25.55% and 30.85% increases in the grain yield of crops grown on fertile soil in irrigated areas and nutrient-deficient soil in rainfed areas, respectively, compared to the non-inoculated control. Results of plant inoculations indicated that Serratia sp. 5D and RTL100 can serve as effective microbial inoculants, particularly in nutrient-deficient soils in rainfed areas, where chickpea is the only major crop grown during the entire year.
National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), P.O. Box 577, Faisalabad, Pakistan; Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Ahmad
A
Zaheer
Utah Water Research Laboratory, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
Babur S
BS
Mirza
Utah Water Research Laboratory, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
Joan E
JE
Mclean
National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), P.O. Box 577, Faisalabad, Pakistan; Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Sumera
S
Yasmin
Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan; Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), P.O. Box. 128, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Tariq Mahmud
TM
Shah
Department of Biological Sciences, Forman Christian College University, Lahore 54600, Pakistan.
Kauser A
KA
Malik
National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), P.O. Box 577, Faisalabad, Pakistan; Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan. Electronic address: sajjadmirza58@gmail.com.
M Sajjad
MS
Mirza
D029863:Cicer / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000382:microbiology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D010710:Phosphates / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000378:metabolism; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D053204:Root Nodules, Plant / Q000382:microbiology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012705:Serratia / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D010710:Phosphates; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D019344:Lactic Acid
Chickpea endophytes; Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA); P-solubilization; PGPR; Serratia spp.