Abstract
Wheat is one of the best-domesticated cereal crops and one of the vital sources of nutrition for humans. An investigation was undertaken to reveal the potential of novel bio-inoculants enriching micronutrients in shoot and grains of wheat crop to eliminate the hazards of malnutrition. Sole as well as consortia inoculation of bio-inoculants significantly enhanced mineral nutrients including zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) concentrations in shoot and grains of wheat. Various treatments of bio-inoculants increase Zn and Fe content up to 1–15% and 3–13%, respectively. Sole inoculation of Bacillus aryabhattai (S10) impressively improves the nutritious of wheat. However, the maximum increase in minerals contents of wheat was recorded by consortia inoculation of Paenibacillus polymyxa ZM27, Bacillus subtilis ZM63 and Bacillus aryabhattai S10. This treatment also showed a maximum bacterial population (18 × 104 cfu mL-1) in the rhizosphere. The consortium application of these strains showed up to a 17% increase in yield. It is evident from the results that the consortium application was more effective than sole and co-inoculation. A healthy positive correlation was found between growth, yield, and the accessibility of micronutrients to wheat crops at the harvesting stage. The present investigations revealed the significance of novel bacterial strains in improving the nutritional status of wheat crops. These strains could be used as bio-inoculants for the biofortification of wheat to combat hidden hunger in developing countries.
Highlights
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the staple food for more than 35% population of the world [1]
Bacillus and Paenibacillus species improve the nutritional status in wheat of Soil Science, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur
The consortium application of three strains (ZM27+ZM63+S10) showed maximum plant height followed by the co-inoculation of ZM27+S10
Summary
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the staple food for more than 35% population of the world [1]. Global food production has improved by many folds as associated with the past, but the static pace of agriculture development is not satisfactory for the rapidly increasing population [3]. Bacillus and Paenibacillus species improve the nutritional status in wheat production requires suitable amounts of chemical fertilizers. It is usually practiced in excessive amounts causing a negative impact on the environmental and high cost associated with environmental management. In recent era concerning human health scientists tried to find a resurgence of sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture [4]
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