Author

Prashant Kumar, Harshita Vashistha, Sandeep Kumar*

Abstract

The ongoing research explores the isolation, characterization, identification and plant growth promoting (PGP) functions of selected plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) isolated from the root nodules of a wild leguminous plant Sesbania sesban (L) Merr., growing in a plain area adjacent to the Shivalik hill regions of Uttarakhand. From an initial pool of 70 bacterial isolates, 16 gram-negative strains were selected and screened for their potential PGP traits, such as phosphate solubilization, siderophore production, hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production. Notably, bacterial strains SSP1 and SSP3, demonstrated strong efficacy in these traits. Ribotyping analysis of 16S rRNA genes identified them as Enterobacter xiangfangensis SSP01 and Acinetobacter pittii SSP03, showcasing their taxonomy as non-rhizobial endophytes. Moreover, these bacterial strains demonstrated significant enhancements in biomass accumulation and vegetative growth parameters in S. sesban. In pot trial experiments, the SSP01 and SSP03 consortia displayed better results, highlighting their potential in agricultural applications. By exploiting the beneficial properties of these bacterial strains, our findings offers a promising avenue for sustainable agriculture, presenting an eco-friendly alternative to conventional chemical fertilizers.

Doi Number 10.61289/jibs2024.05.15.123

Keywords Sesbania sesban, Traditional green manure, PGPR attributes, Molecular identification, Vegetative gro