Abstract
Application of exotic bacterial strains as biofertilizer has always posed a constraint in the success of biofertilizer technology. Only a limited number of biofertilizers with applicability in a wide range of soil conditions is available in the market. Pseudomonas cepacia BAM-12 (MTCC No. 7100) (now known as Burkholderia cepacia), an isolate from the mungbean rhizosphere of the agricultural field of Rajasthan has shown remarkable plant growth promotion in Gujarat agricultural field soil. B. cepacia was found to increase the overall growth of 3 agriculturally important plants widely grown in Gujarat region, viz., mungbean, maize and rice. Increased plant growth was assessed on the basis of increased leaf number and area, biomass, chlorophyll content, profuse adventitious root branching, increased nodulation (in mungbean only), high available P in soil and overall plant growth in B. cepacia treated plants. Vital factor towards increased plant growth was the amount of IAA secreted by the organism (i.e. 2.65 mg IAA/100 ml of the culture filtrate) which is reasonably high in comparison to earlier reports available. Furthermore, PSB has also demonstrated bioremediation potential against harmful heavy metals such as copper, lead, nickel and arsenic by tolerating upto 25 mM indicating it’s prospective in remediating heavy metal contaminated agricultural fields.
Highlights
Agricultural land gets impoverished after long term cultivation, if not supplemented properly with nutrient inputs
The phosphate solubilization index was calculated during different days of incubation
IAA production: The bacterial strain P. cepacia BAM-12 was able to produce reasonably high amounts of IAA auxin i.e. 26.5 mg/L of the culture filtrate. Such a high amount of IAA production by the organism under investigation can help in the establishment and colonization of P. cepacia in plant rhizosphere which enhances the overall plant growth and plant biomass (Karthikeyan et al, 2009; Chandra et al, 2018)
Summary
Agricultural land gets impoverished after long term cultivation, if not supplemented properly with nutrient inputs. One such group of bacteria that has been extensively investigated is plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). In the past there have been several reports where biofertilizer showed remarkable results in one state/country but was ineffective in another (Phospho-bacteria was successful in USSR but failed in other countries). Another constraint associated with the wide application of biofertilizers is their crop specificity. Scientists are in search of potential microbes exhibiting multiple properties that can be effectively applied to different crops and soil types in variable environmental conditions to promote the overall plant growth.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
