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Maize seed endophytic bacteria: dominance of antagonistic, lytic enzyme-producing Bacillus spp.

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Abstract

Beneficial aspects of endophytic microorganisms have motivated researchers to explore plant endophytic world. The present study was aimed to isolate and characterize the seed-borne endophytic bacteria from diverse maize genotypes. Eighty maize seed endophytic bacteria (MSEB), isolated from 30 maize genotypes, were characterized using polyphasic approach. The dendrograms and phylogenetic tree generated on the basis of ARDRA analysis and metabolic profiling of endophytic bacteria revealed genotypic and biochemical diversity among MSEB. The 16S rDNA sequence analysis revealed Bacillus as the most dominant encountered genus affiliated with Phylum Firmicutes. Few isolates belonged to genus Staphylococcus, whereas one isolate was identified as Corynebacterium sp. under Phylum Actinobacteria. Majority of the MSEB isolates exhibited antagonism against phytopathogenic fungi, production of ammonia, and secretion of lytic enzymes; some isolates also exhibited indole acetic acid production, the traits of which can be helpful in endophytic establishment and advantageous to the host plant. Besides, many MSEB exhibited tolerance to salinity (10%), osmotic stress (40% PEG6000), and temperature (60 °C), indicating their possible application under stress conditions. Endophytic nature of the selected MSEB isolates was confirmed by tracking their presence in shoots, leaves, and roots of the host seedlings with the help of biochemical marker (rifampicin resistance). Thus, the MSEB identified in the present study can be explored as potential bioinputs for improving plant growth and productivity under stressed conditions, besides helping in understanding the plant–endophyte interactions.

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Acknowledgements

Authors of this manuscript are thankful to ICAR-AMAAS (Application of Microorganisms in Agriculture and Allied Sectors) for the financial support. Authors are also thankful to the National Coordinator, ICAR-NICRA (National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture) for providing the maize seeds.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500059, India

    Shrey Bodhankar, Minakshi Grover, Sunaina Hemanth, Shaik Rasul, Sushil Kumar Yadav, Suseelendra Desai, Manjunath Mallappa, Maheswari Mandapaka & Ch. Srinivasarao

  2. Division of Microbiology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Minakshi Grover

  3. Department of Microbiology, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500007, India

    Gopal Reddy

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  1. Shrey Bodhankar
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Correspondence to Minakshi Grover.

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Figure 4. Establishment of MSEB in maize seedlings under sterile and unsterile conditions (TIFF 3871 kb)

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Figure 5. Dendrogram of MSEB generated on the basis of 16S rDNA restriction profile (EcoRI) by using NTSYSpc (TIFF 842 kb)

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Figure 6. Dendrogram of MSEB generated on the basis of 16S rDNA restriction profile (MspI) by using NTSYSpc (TIFF 842 kb)

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Figure 7. Dendrogram of MSEB generated on the basis of 16S rDNA restriction profile (Hae III) by using NTSYSpc (TIFF 894 kb)

Supplementary material 5 (DOCX 12 kb)

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Bodhankar, S., Grover, M., Hemanth, S. et al. Maize seed endophytic bacteria: dominance of antagonistic, lytic enzyme-producing Bacillus spp.. 3 Biotech 7, 232 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-017-0860-0

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