Co-inoculation Effects of Rhizobium sullae and Pseudomonas sp. on Growth, Antioxidant Status, and Expression Pattern of Genes Associated with Heavy Metal Tolerance and Accumulation of Cadmium in Sulla coronaria

Abstract

Recently, phytoremediation assisted by soil bacteria has emerged as a potential tool to clean up the metal-contaminated/polluted environment. Three plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPBs): Rhizobium sullae, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Pseudomonas sp. were found to tolerate cadmium (Cd) stress. Sulla coronaria inoculated with these PGPBs, and grown under different Cd concentrations (0, 100, and 200 µM), showed increases in dry biomass and proline content. Notable increases in different gas-exchange characteristics such as photosynthesis rate (A), transpiration rate (E), and water-use efficiency (WUE), as well as increases in nitrogen (N) and Cd accumulations were also recorded in inoculated plants compared to non-inoculated Cd stressed plants. The activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), guaiacol peroxidase (GPOX), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in S. coronaria roots increased under Cd stress after PGPB co-inoculation, suggesting that these PGPB species could be used for amelioration of stress tolerance in S. coronaria. The expression patterns of ScPCS, ScMT, ScF-box, ScGR, and ScGST in roots of S. coronaria indicated that these genes are differentially expressed under Cd treatments, suggesting their possible roles in Cd and heavy metal stress responses. The results indicate that co-inoculation with R. sullae and Pseudomonas sp. could alleviate Cd toxicity in S. coronaria. In the present study, the obtained data suggest that the application of PGPBs could be a promising strategy for enhancing the phytostabilization efficiency of Cd-contaminated soils.