Dataset Information

Importance of crop phenological stages for the efficient use of PGPR inoculants.

ABSTRACT: During the last decades, the incorporation of beneficial microorganisms in agriculture crop management has become a common practice. Seed coating of these microorganisms still faces technical issues, which limit its implementation in conventional agriculture. An adaption to widely established agricultural practices, e.g. fertigation, could help to overcome these issues. Here, using Bacillus velezensis strain BBC047, we show the influence of the crop phenological stages on the efficiency and success of microbial inoculation under agricultural conditions. In the commercial nursery, strain BBC047 improved growth in a variety of horticulture crops like basil, cabbage, tomato and bell pepper, the latter with the strongest effects in strengthening and accelerating the seedling growth (root and aerial biomass). For a field trial under productive conditions, different application strategies were compared, using bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) as crop under fertigation: conventional management (T1), application to the seedling (only nursery, T2), only post-transplant application (field, T3) and a combination of both (T4). In T2 and T4, the post-transplantation survival rate (p < 0.05) improved and the productivity of the plants increased (> 100%). Applications of BBC047 post-transplantation (T3) caused a lower increase in productivity (25%). Fruits from all three application strategies contained significantly more Vitamin C. We conclude that in conventional agriculture, the applications of PGPR inoculants to early crop phenological stages like nurseries are a viable alternative for the efficient use of PGPR inoculants. In comparison, a late introduction of a PGPR reduces its beneficial effect on crop productivity. We highlight that an appropriate timing in the use of PGPR inoculants is crucial for product development and success in sustainable agriculture.

SUBMITTER: Stoll A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8486824 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:The aim of the present study was to investigate the changes in the content of phytochemical compounds and in vitro antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities of Teucrium polium L. aerial parts and root methanolic extracts at different phenological stages (vegetative, flowering, and seeding). The T. polium extracts were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and their antioxidant properties were tested with the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO), ferrous ions (Fe2+), and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) methods. Forty-nine compounds were identified with the majority of germacrene D, t-cadinol, β-pinene, carvacrol, bicyclogermacrene, α-pinene, and limonene. The results show that the extracts significantly differ between different phenological stages of the plant material used in terms of the phytochemical composition (total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids, total alkaloids, and total saponin contents) and bioactivities (antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory) (p < 0.05). The highest total contents of phenolics (72.4 ± 2.5 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dry weight), flavonoids (36.2 ± 3.1 mg quercetin equivalent (QE)/g dry weight), alkaloids (105.7 ± 2.8 mg atropine equivalent (AE)/g dry weight), and saponins (653 ± 6.2 mg escin equivalent (EE)/g dry weight), as well as antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities, were measured for the extract of the aerial parts obtained at the flowering stage. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for the extracts were varied within 9.4-300 µg/mL, while the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values were varied within 18.75-600 µg/mL. In addition, they were more active on Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative bacteria. The data of this work confirm that the T. polium extracts have significant biological activity and hence can be used in the pharmaceutical industry, clinical applications, and medical research, as well as cosmetic and food industries.

Project description:Global population growth and climate change raise a challenge to agriculture, which, combined with the issues concerning the use of chemical fertilizers, have generated increasing attention in the use of plant-associated bacteria as a sustainable strategy in agri-food systems. The objective of this study is to evaluate the ability of five bacterial strains, previously isolated from the rhizosphere or endosphere of plants adapted to harsh environmental conditions, to act as potential plant biofertilizers in different conditions of water availability. The strain biosafety for a deliberate environmental release was investigated through a literature survey and antibiotic resistance testing. The selected strains were first characterized for their plant growth-promoting (PGP) and rhizocompetence-related traits through in vitro assays and then on short-term in vivo experiments on tomato plants. A long-term greenhouse experiment was further conducted to monitor the PGP effect of the bacteria during the entire life cycle of tomato plants subjected to full irrigation or to severe water deficit conditions, aiming to assess their actual effect on plant productivity, which is the ultimate target of the agricultural sector. Some of the strains showed a potential in improving water use efficiency and mitigating plant water stress. Under severe irrigation deficit, four of the tested strains, Micrococcus yunnanensis M1, Bacillus simplex RP-26, Pseudomonas stutzeri SR7-77, and Paenarthrobacter nitroguajacolicus 2-50, significantly increased the number of productive plants in comparison to non-bacterized control ones. Two of them, Bacillus simplex RP-26 and Paenarthrobacter nitroguajacolicus 2-50, demonstrated also, under full irrigation, to significantly improve the water productivity in comparison with non-bacterized plants. Despite all the strains showed promising PGP potential in short-term assays, the positive effect of the bacterial inoculants on plant physiology and fruit yield was observed in some cases but never corroborated by statistical significance. These results highlight the importance of performing long-term in vivo experiments to define the real PGP ability of a bacterial inoculant to positively impact plant production.

Dataset Information

Importance of crop phenological stages for the efficient use of PGPR inoculants.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets