Biohardening of Micropropagated Plants with PGPR and Endophytic Bacteria Enhances the Protein Content

Abstract

The ability to grow plant tissues in vitro and to control their development forms the basis of many practical applications in agriculture, horticulture and industrial chemistry. Establishment of a cell, tissue or organ culture and regeneration of plantlets under in vitro conditions has opened up new avenues in the area of plant biotechnology. Micropropagation is one such method where the plants are grown under in vitro conditions to provide a better survival rate and mass propagation in a short time, it is achieved through the establishment of the explants and their initial growth in vitro, followed by transferring them onto the field or in a greenhouse. This has triggered a great interest in understanding plant physiology and performing a comprehensive study regarding the change in physiology and morphology under influence of various useful bacterial combinations. In this review, plant growth promoting rizobacteria (PGPR) were used in the bio priming of the micro propagated plants (banana), these plants showed increased growth of the root length; shoot length, internode diameter and number of leaves. All parts of the banana plant have medicinal applications: the flowers in bronchitis and dysentery and on ulcers; cooked flowers are given to diabetics; the astringent plant sap in cases of hysteria, epilepsy, leprosy, fevers, hemorrhages, acute dysentery and diarrhea, and it is applied on hemorrhoids, insect and other stings and bites; young leaves are placed as poultices on burns and other skin afflictions; the astringent ashes of the unripe peel and of the leaves are taken in dysentery and diarrhea and used for treating malignant ulcers; the roots are administered in digestive disorders, dysentery and other ailments; banana seed mucilage is given in cases of diarrhea in India. The changes in protein expression as a consequence of environmental stimuli were evaluated which led to the conclusion that the bio hardened plants showed high protein content but had the similar genetic content when compared against the control plants. Thus increase in the protein content enhances these medicinal qualities of banana plant. Further, a fidelity test was conducted on the bio primed plants to check the genetic variations.