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Assessment of genetic diversity and plant growth promoting attributes of psychrotolerant bacteria allied with wheat (Triticum aestivum) from the northern hills zone of India

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Abstract

The biodiversity of wheat-associated bacteria from the northern hills zone of India was deciphered. A total of 247 bacteria was isolated from five different sites. Analysis of these bacteria by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) using three restriction enzymes, AluI, MspI and HaeIII, led to the grouping of these isolates into 19–33 clusters for the different sites at 75 % similarity index. 16S rRNA gene based phylogenetic analysis revealed that 65 %, 26 %, 8 % and 1 % bacteria belonged to four phyla, namely Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes, respectively. Overall, 28 % of the total morphotypes belonged to Pseudomonas followed by Bacillus (20 %), Stenotrophomonas (9 %), Methylobacterium (8 %), Arthrobacter (7 %), Pantoea (4 %), Achromobacter, Acinetobacter, Exiguobacterium and Staphylococcus (3 %), Enterobacter, Providencia, Klebsiella and Leclercia (2 %), Brevundimonas, Flavobacterium, Kocuria, Kluyvera and Planococcus (1 %). Representative strains from each cluster were screened in vitro for plant growth promoting traits, which included solubilisation of phosphorus, potassium and zinc; production of ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, indole-3-acetic acid and siderophore; nitrogen fixation, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase activity and biocontrol against Fusarium graminearum, Rhizoctonia solani and Macrophomina phaseolina. Cold-adapted isolates may have application as inoculants for plant growth promotion and biocontrol agents for crops growing under cold climatic conditions.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Division of Microbiology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi and Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology for providing the facilities and financial support needed to undertake this investigation.

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The experiments undertaken comply with the current laws of India, the country where the investigation was undertaken. There are no conflicts of interest.

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    Authors and Affiliations

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

      Priyanka Verma, Ajar Nath Yadav, Anil Kumar Saxena & Archna Suman

    2. Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, 713209, India

      Priyanka Verma & Kazy Sufia Khannam

    3. Department of Bio-Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, 835215, India

      Ajar Nath Yadav & Neha Panjiar

    4. Division of Genetics, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India

      Sanjay Kumar

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    Priyanka Verma and Ajar Nath Yadav contributed equally to the present work.

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    Verma, P., Yadav, A.N., Khannam, K.S. et al. Assessment of genetic diversity and plant growth promoting attributes of psychrotolerant bacteria allied with wheat (Triticum aestivum) from the northern hills zone of India. Ann Microbiol 65, 1885–1899 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13213-014-1027-4

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