1Department of Industrial Microbiology, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Allahabad, India
2Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Allahabad, India
3Department of Molecular and Cellular Engineering, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Allahabad, India
*Corresponding author: pramod.ramteke@shiats.edu.in
Online published on 7 May, 2018.
Plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) play an important role in agricultural production and soil fertility. Wheat is a highly consumed cereal food crop of the world population and sustainable wheat productivity achieved by the application of bacterium in combination with NPK is promising. In the present study bacterial isolate (PR6) from soil of organic farm was included. The isolate (PR6) was screened for its morphological, biochemical and plant growth promoting characteristics, sequenced by 16S rDNA method and submitted to NCBI for the confirmation of strain identification. Further, the inoculation effect of the bacterial isolate in combination with NPK on growth and yield parameters of wheat var. AAI-W6 were analysed. The isolate (PR6) was identified as Erwinia sp. with NCBI Accession No. KP226572. The organism possessed multiple plant growth promoting (MPGP) traits such as production of ammonia, siderophore, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), ACC Deaminase (ACCD) and showed phosphate solubilization activity. The organism was found tolerant to 10% salt, wide range of pH 5–9, higher levels of trace elements and heavy metals and possessed resistant to multiple antibiotics. Inoculation of wheat variety AAI-W6 with the Erwinia species showed significant increase in seed germination and enhancement in elongation of root and shoot compared to untreated control. The combined application of PGPB (Erwinia sp.) along with NPK treatments showed similar significant results in all growth and yield parameters of wheat. This study is the first report on the beneficial effects of organic farm isolated Erwinia-NPK treatment combinations on sustainable wheat productivity.
The organism was found tolerant to 10% salt, wide range of pH 5–9, higher levels of trace elements and heavy metals and resistant to multiple antibiotics.
The combined application of PGPB (Erwinia sp.) along with NPK treatments showed similar significant results in all growth and yield parameters of wheat.
Erwinia sp. MPGP traits, stress tolerance, wheat, NPK, growth enhancement
