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Relationship between in vitro characterization and comparative efficacy of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria for improving cucumber salt tolerance

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Abstract

Phosphate solubilization, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC)-deaminase activity and production of siderophores and indole acetic acid (IAA) are well-known traits of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Here we investigated the expression of these traits as affected by salinity for three PGPR strains (Pseudomonas fluorescens, Bacillus megaterium and Variovorax paradoxus) at two salinity levels [2 and 5 % NaCl (w/v)]. Among the three strains, growth of B. megaterium was the least affected by high salinity. However, P. fluorescens was the best strain for maintaining ACC-deaminase activity, siderophore and IAA production under stressed conditions. V. paradoxus was the least tolerant to salts and had minimal growth and low PGPR trait expression under salt stress. Results of experiment examining the impact of bacterial inoculation on cucumber growth at three salinity levels [1 (normal), 7 and 10 dS m−1] revealed that P. fluorescens also had good rhizosphere competence and was the most effective for alleviating the negative impacts of salinity on cucumber growth. The results suggest that in addition to screening the PGPR regarding their effect on growth under salinity, PGPR trait expression is also an important aspect that may be useful for selecting the most promising PGPR bacterial strains for improving plant tolerance to salinity stress.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan for the financial support for this research. The authors also gratefully acknowledge support provided by the Kearney Foundation of Soil Science, USA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Sub-Campus Burewala, Vehari, Pakistan

    Sajid Mahmood Nadeem

  2. Department of Soil Science, University College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan

    Maqshoof Ahmad

  3. Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38040, Pakistan

    Muhammad Naveed & Zahir Ahmad Zahir

  4. Soil Science Division, Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Imran

  5. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA

    Muhammad Imran & David E. Crowley

Authors
  1. Sajid Mahmood Nadeem
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  2. Maqshoof Ahmad
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  3. Muhammad Naveed
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  4. Muhammad Imran
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  5. Zahir Ahmad Zahir
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  6. David E. Crowley
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Correspondence to Sajid Mahmood Nadeem.

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Communicated by Erko Stackebrandt.

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Nadeem, S.M., Ahmad, M., Naveed, M. et al. Relationship between in vitro characterization and comparative efficacy of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria for improving cucumber salt tolerance. Arch Microbiol 198, 379–387 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-016-1197-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-016-1197-5

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