Association of plant growth-promoting Serratia spp. with the root nodules of chickpea

作者：Zaheer Ahmad; Mirza Babur S; Mclean Joan E; Yasmin Sumera; Shah Tariq Mahmud; Malik Kauser A; Mirza M Sajjad^*

来源：Research in Microbiology, 2016, 167(6): 510-520.

DOI：10.1016/j.resmic.2016.04.001

• Serratia spp.
• P-solubilization
• Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)
• PGPR
• Chickpea endophytes

Serratia species-affiliated DNA sequences have recently been discovered in the root nodules of two chickpea cultivars; however, little is known about their potential influence on chickpea plant growth. All Serratia-affiliated sequences (1136) could be grouped into two clusters at 98% DNA similarity. The major cluster, represented by 96% of sequences, was closely associated with Serratia marcescens sequences from GenBank. In the current study, we isolated two Serratia strains, 5D and RTL100, from root nodules of a field-grown Desi cultivar from Faisalabad and Thal areas, respectively. In vitro, strain 5D showed significantly higher phosphate (P) solubilization and lactic acid production than RTL100, whereas a comparable concentration of phytohormone was produced by both isolates. The application of Serratia strain 5D as an inoculum resulted in 25.55% and 30.85% increases in the grain yield of crops grown on fertile soil in irrigated areas and nutrient-deficient soil in rainfed areas, respectively, compared to the non-inoculated control. Results of plant inoculations indicated that Serratia sp. 5D and RTL100 can serve as effective microbial inoculants, particularly in nutrient-deficient soils in rainfed areas, where chickpea is the only major crop grown during the entire year.

• 出版日期2016-8