PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Agricultural challenges due to a water shortage are factors limiting plant growth and productivity worldwide. One way to improve plant growth under unsuitable conditions is to use plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of PGPB to increase peanut, rice, and sweet corn growth under low water conditions. Suitable agricultural materials were selected first to be used in Paenibacillus sp. BSR1-1 immobilization. The materials were water hyacinth, reed, and coconut husk. Water hyacinth maintained the bacterial cell number when kept at either -4, 4, or 27-30 °C for both storage times, and water hyacinth soaked with a bacterial cell suspension prepared in 0.5 % ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) + 1 % glucose was the most suitable method to immobilize the bacterial cells. Paenibacillus sp. BSR1-1 with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and exopolysaccharide-producing abilities significantly increased root growth of peanuts under the low water condition. Root length and dry weight of inoculated peanut grown under low water conditions were 138.91 % and 156.51 % higher than uninoculated peanut, respectively. This bacterial isolate significantly increased rice shoot dry weight and root length under low and full water conditions. However, it only increased shoot length and root dry weight under the full water condition. Paenibacillus sp. BSR1-1 increased the dry weight of sweet corn under both conditions but only increased the root length of sweet corn under the full water condition. The shoot dry weight of inoculated sweet corn under the low water condition was 170.59 % higher than that of the un-inoculated sweet corn. When rice received Paenibacillus sp. BSR1-1 under the full water condition, and when peanuts received these bacteria under both conditions, they could produce more tillers and pods than the un-inoculated plants. Thus, Paenibacillus sp. BSR1-1 was an appropriate strain to use as a biofertilizer for agricultural proposes in water-limited areas.

• Asim, M., Aslam, M., Bano, A., Munir, M., Majeed, A., & Abbas, S. H. (2013). Role of phytohormones in root nodulation and yield of peanut under salt stress. American Journal of Research Communication, 1(5), 191-208.

• Bashan, Y. (1998). Inoculant of plant growth promoting bacteria for use in agriculture. Biotechnology Advances, 16(4), 729-770. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0734-9750(98)00003-2

• Brito, S. L., Santos, A. B., Barbosa, D. D., Fernandes, P. D., Fernandes-Júnior, P. I., & Lima L. M. (2019). Bradyrhizobium spp. as attenuators of water deficit stress in runner peanut genotypes based on physiological and gene expression responses. Genetics and Molecular Research, 18(4), gmr18379. https://doi.org/10.4238/gmr18379

• de Souza, R., Ambrosini, A., & Passaglia, L. M. P. (2015). Plant growth-promoting bacteria as inoculants in agricultural soils. Genetics and Molecular Biology, 38(4), 401-419. https://doi.org/10.1590%2FS1415-475738420150053

• Farooq, M., Wahid, A., Kobayashi, N., Fujita, D., & Basra, S. M. A. (2009). Plant drought stress: Effects, mechanisms and management. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 29, 185-212. https://doi.org/10.1051/agro:2008021

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (n.d.). Drought. FAO. http://www.fao.org/emergencies/emergency-types/drought/en/

• George, S. P., Ahmad, A., & Rao, M. B. (2001). Studies on carboxy methyl cellulose produced by an alkalothermophilic actinomycete. Bioresource Technology, 77(2), 171-175. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-8524(00)00150-4

• Glick, B. R. (2012). Plant growth-promoting bacteria: Mechanisms and applications. Scientifica, 2012, 963401. https://doi.org/10.6064/2012/963401

• Gusain, Y. S., Singh, U. S., & Sharma, A. K. (2014). Enzymatic amelioration of drought stress in rice through the application of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). International Journal of Current Research, 6(1), 4487-4491.

• Huang, X., El-Alawi, Y., Penrose, D. M., Glick, B. R., & Greenberg, B. M. (2004). Response of three grass species to creosote during phytoremediation. Environmental Pollution, 130(3), 453-363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2003.12.018

• Joshi, B., Chaudhary, A., Singh, H., & Kumar, P. A. (2020). Prospective evaluation of individual and consortia plant growth promoting rhizobacteria for drought stress amelioration in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Plant Soil, 457, 225-240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04730-x

• Khan, N., & Bano, A. (2019). Exopolysaccharide producing rhizobacteria and their impact on growth and drought tolerance of wheat grown under rainfed conditions. PLOS One, 14(9), e0222302. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222302

• Kirdponpattara, S., Chuetor, S., Sriariyanun, M., & Phisalaphong, M. (2021). Bioethanol production by Pichia stipites immobilized on water hyacinth and thin shell silk cocoon. Applied Science and Engineering Progress, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.14416/j.asep.2021.03.006

• Kumar, B. L., & Gopal, D. V. R. S. (2015). Effective role of indigenous microorganisms for sustainable environment. 3 Biotech, 5(6), 867-876. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-015-0293-6

• Lu, J., Peng, W., Lv, Y., Jiang, Y., Xu, B., Zhang, W., Zhou, J., Dong, W., Xin, F., & Jiang, M. (2020). Application of cell immobilization technology in microbial cocultivation systems for biochemicals production. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 59(39), 17026−17034. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.0c01867

• Mafakheri, A., Siosemardeh, A., Bahramnejad, B., Struik, P. C., & Sohrabi, Y. (2010). Effect of drought stress on yield, proline and chlorophyll contents in three chickpea cultivars. Australian Journal of Crop Science, 4(8), 580-585.

• Manivannan, P., Abdul Jaleel, C., Sankar, B., Kishorekumar, A., Somasundaram, R., Lakshmanan, G. M. A., & Panneerselvam R. (2007). Growth, biochemical modifications and proline metabolism in Helianthus annuus L. as induced by drought stress. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 59(2), 141-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2007.05.002

• Martins, S. C. S., Martins, C. M., Fiúza, L. M. C. G., & Santaella, S. T. (2013). Immobilization of microbial cells: A promising tool for treatment of toxic pollutants in industrial wastewater. African Journal of Biotechnology, 12(28), 4412-4418. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJB12.2677

• Mohr, H., & Schopfer, P. (1995). Plant physiology. Springer-Verlag.

• Naseem, H., & Bano, A. (2014). Role of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and their exopolysaccharide in drought tolerance of maize. Journal of Plant Interactions, 9(1), 689-701. https://doi.org/10.1080/17429145.2014.902125

• Niu, X., Song, L., Xiao, Y., & Ge, W. (2018). Drought-tolerant plant growth promoting rhizobacteria associated with foxtail millet in a semi-arid agroecosystem and their potential in alleviating drought stress. Frontiers in Microbiology, 8, 2580. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2017.02580

• Ojuederie, O. B., Olanrewaju, O. S., & Babalola, O. O. (2019). Plant growth promoting rhizobacterial mitigation of drought stress in crop plants: Implications for sustainable agriculture. Agronomy, 9(11), 712. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9110712

• Partovinia, A., & Rasekh, B. (2018). Review of the immobilized microbial cell systems for bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons polluted environments. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 48(1), 1-38. https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2018.1439652

• Penrose, D. M., & Glick, B. R. (2003). Methods for isolating and characterizing ACC deaminase-containing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. Physiologia Plantarum, 118(1), 10-15. https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1399-3054.2003.00086.x

• Pérez-Miranda, S., Cabirol, N., George-Téllez, R., Zamudio-Rivera, L. S., & Fernández, F. J. (2007). O-CAS, a fast and universal method for siderophore detection. Journal of Microbiological Methods, 70(1), 127-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mimet.2007.03.023

• Prajapati, K. B., & Modi, H. A. (2012). Isolation and characterization of potassium solubilizing bacteria from ceramic industry soil. CIBTech Journal of Microbiology, 1(2-3), 8-14. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.14843.95525

• Sahin, U., Ekinci, M., Kiziloglu, F. M., Yildirim, E., Turan, M., Kotan, R., & Ors, S. (2015). Ameliorative effects of plant growth promoting bacteria on water-yield relationships, growth, and nutrient uptake of lettuce plants under different irrigation levels. HortScience, 50(9), 1379-1386. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.50.9.1379

• Santos, M. S., Nogueira, M. A., & Hungria, M. (2019). Microbial inoculants: Reviewing the past, discussing the present and previewing an outstanding future for the use of beneficial bacteria in agriculture. AMB Express, 9, 205. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13568-019-0932-0

• Shultana, R., Kee Zuan, A. T., Yusop, M. R., & Saud, H. M. (2020b). Characterization of salt-tolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and the effect on growth and yield of saline-affected rice. PLOS One, 15(9), e0238537. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238537

• Shultana, R., Kee Zuan, A. T., Yusop, M. R., Saud, H. M., & Ayanda, A. F. (2020a). Effect of salt-tolerant bacterial inoculations on rice seedlings differing in salt-tolerance under saline soil conditions. Agronomy, 10(7), 1030. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10071030

• Somtrakoon, K., Sangdee, A., & Chouychai, W. (2019). Roles of plant growth promoting bacteria on growth of ornamental plants grown in anthracene-spiked soil. Journal of Agricultural Research and Extension, 36(2), 11-22.

• Somtrakoon, K., Sangdee, A., & Chouychai, W. (2022). Maintaining growth of aquatic morning glory under drought condition by Paenibacillus sp. BSR1-1. Trends in Sciences, 19(5), 2884. https://doi.org/10.48048/tis.2022.2884

• Sun, L., Yang, Y., Wang, R., Li, S., Qiu, Y., Lei, P. Gao, J., Xu, H., Zhang, F., & Lv, Y. (2020). Effects of exopolysaccharide derived from Pantoea alhagi NX-11 on drought resistance of rice and its efficient fermentation preparation. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 162, 946-955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.06.199

• Truong, T. H. H., & Marschner, P. (2018). Respiration, available N and microbial biomass N in soil amended with mixes of organic materials differing in C/N ratio and decomposition stage. Geoderma, 319, 167-174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.01.012

• Vurukonda, S. S. K. P., Vardharajula, S., Shrivastava, M., & SkZ, A. (2016). Enhancement of drought stress tolerance in crops by plant growth promoting rhizobacteria. Microbiological Research, 184, 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2015.12.003

• Wu, S., Shen, Z., Yang, C., Zhou, Y., Li, X., Zeng, G., Ai, S., & He, H. (2017). Effects of C/N ratio and bulking agent on speciation of Zn and Cu and enzymatic activity during pig manure composting. International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation, 119, 429-436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibiod.2016.09.016

• Yao, W., Wu, X., Zhu, J., Sun, B., Zhang, Y. Y., & Miller, C. (2011). Bacterial cellulose membrane - A new support carrier for yeast immobilization for ethanol fermentation. Process Biochemistry, 46(10), 2054-2058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procbio.2011.07.006