Study on the Construction of Algal - Bacterial Consortium Comprising Pantoea vagans ZHS-1 and Nostoc sp. GD2 and Its Growth-Promoting Effect on Rice
Excessive use of chemical fertilizers has led to severe agricultural pollution and soil degradation. Algal-bacterial consortia, as eco-friendly microbial inoculants, offer a promising strategy to reduce fertilizer dependency and promote sustainable agriculture. In this study, we constructed a consortium (ZD-1) comprising the potassium-solubilizing bacterium Pantoea vagans ZHS-1 and the nitrogen fixing cyanobacterium Desmonostoc muscorum GD2. Co-cultivation at various ratios showed that a 1:1 ratio maximized mutual growth promotion, chemotaxis, and biofilm formation. Under this optimal ratio, the consortium exhibited significantly increased total nitrogen content in BG11 supernatant, as well as enhanced soluble phosphorus and soluble potassium accumulation in specific media containing insoluble P/K sources; these changes were concomitant with upregulation of key functional genes revealed by transcriptomic analysis.