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Potential role of rhizobia to enhance chickpea-growth and yield in low fertility-soils of Tunisia

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Abstract

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria are bacteria that improve plant growth and reduce plant pathogen damages. In this study, 100 nodule bacteria were isolated from chickpea, screened for their plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits and then characterised by PCR-RFLP of 16 S rDNA. Results showed that most of the slow-growing isolates fixed nitrogen but those exhibiting fast-growth did not. Fourteen isolates solubilized inorganic phosphorus, 16 strains produced siderophores, and 17 strains produced indole acetic acid. Co-culture experiments identified three strains having an inhibitory effect against Fusarium oxysporum, the primary pathogenic fungus for chickpea in Tunisia. Rhizobia with PGP traits were assigned to Mesorhizobium ciceri, Mesorhizobium mediterraneum, Sinorhizobium meliloti and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. We noted that PGP activities were differentially distributed between M. ciceri and M. mediterraneum. The region of Mateur in northern Tunisia, with clay–silty soil, was the origin of 53% of PGP isolates. Interestingly, we found that S. meliloti and A. tumefaciens strains did not behave as parasitic nodule-bacteria but as PGP rhizobacteria useful for chickpea nutrition and health. In fact, S. meliloti strains could solubilize phosphorus, produce siderophore and auxin. The A. tumefaciens strains could perform the previous PGP traits and inhibit pathogen growth also. Finally, one candidate strain of M. ciceri (LL10)—selected for its highest symbiotic nitrogen fixation and phosphorus solubilization—was used for field experiment. The LL10 inoculation increased grain yield more than three-fold. These finding showed the potential role of rhizobia to be used as biofertilizers and biopesticides, representing low-cost and environment-friendly inputs for sustainable agriculture.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thanks Dr. Olubukola Oluranti Babalola’s, PhD Microbiology (North West University, Department of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, South Africa), for her quick editing.

Funding

This work was supported by the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MHESR) under Grant 2015–2018 (Improvement of Legume Production) for the Laboratory of Legumes, Centre of Biotechnology of Borj-Cédria.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Legumes, Center of Biotechnology of Borj-Cédria (CBBC), BP.901, 2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia

    Samir Ben Romdhane & Moncef Mrabet

  2. LSTM, UMR 113 IRD/CIRAD/SupAgro/Université de Montpellier, Campus International de Baillarguet, Montpellier, France

    Philippe De Lajudie

  3. Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, USA

    Jeffry J. Fuhrmann

Authors
  1. Samir Ben Romdhane
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  2. Philippe De Lajudie
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  4. Moncef Mrabet
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Contributions

Samir Ben romdhane designed and performed the experiments. Data analysis and manuscript writing were also done by the same author. Moncef Mrabet, Philippe De lajudie and Jeffry J. Fuhrmann edited the manuscript critically and very carefully. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Samir Ben Romdhane.

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Ben Romdhane, S., De Lajudie, P., Fuhrmann, J.J. et al. Potential role of rhizobia to enhance chickpea-growth and yield in low fertility-soils of Tunisia. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 115, 921–932 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10482-022-01745-5

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