Chemotaxis and physiological adaptation of an indigenous abiotic stress tolerant plant growth promoting Pseudomonas stutzeri: Amelioration of salt stress to Cicer arietinum

Abstract

Abstract Abiotic stress factors hugely affect the agricultural productivity worldwide out of which the most hazardous factor is soil salinization. Most of the crops species are susceptible to increased soil salinity; there is a great interest in developing new strategies to ameliorate salt stress as well as to make robust crop species. In this study we have selected saline sodic soil. The isolation of bacterial species was carried out on the basis of salt tolerance ability and having PGP traits by enrichment technique. Characterization and identification of isolate was done by 16 S rDNA and Gyrase-B. The isolate SGM-1 could grow at increasing salt concentrations up to 12% w/v NaCl with wide temperature and pH ranges. Pseudomonas stutzeri SGM-1 showed elongation of cells as a response to salt stress. The selected strain of Pseudomonas stutzeriSGM-1 exhibited diazotrophy by growing on nitrogen free media along with expression of other PGP traits as phosphate solubilization, auxin and siderophore production. The amelioration of the salt stress to the Cicer arietinum plant by isolate's bio-fertigation was observed up to 300 mM of NaCl. This study provides the basis for role of adaptation of soil microorganism to thrive the high stress environment. Also, the isolate exhibited indigenous salt and other abiotic stress tolerance along with potential PGP traits which indicates that it could promote plant growth by contributing to macro and micro essential nutrition in salt and other abiotic stresses.