TY - JOUR

T1 - Effect of Bacillus paralicheniformis on soybean (Glycine max) roots colonization, nutrient uptake and water use efficiency under drought stress

AU - Liu, Jie

AU - Fimognari, Lorenzo

AU - de Almeida, Jaqueline

AU - Jensen, Camilla Niketa Gadomska

AU - Compant, Stéphane

AU - Oliveira, Tiago

AU - Baelum, Jacob

AU - Pastar, Milica

AU - Sessitsch, Angela

AU - Moelbak, Lars

AU - Liu, Fulai

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Spore-forming, plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPR) offer extraordinary opportunities for increasing plant productivity in climate change scenarios. Plant–water relationships, root development and photosynthetic performances are all key aspects of plant physiology determining yield, and the ability of PGPR to influence these in a coordinated manner is crucial for their success. In this study, we dissected the mode of action of a commercial Bacillus paralicheniformis FMCH001 in promoting soybean (Glycine max, seed variety: Sculptor) establishment in well-watered and drought conditions. We found that FMCH001 colonizes the roots, improved root growth and allowed plants to absorb more nutrients from the soil. FMCH001 inoculation had no effect on abscisic acid in leaf or xylem sap, while significantly improved photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate at 28 days after planting when drought stress exposed for 7 days, with depressed leaf water potential and osmotic potential. Moreover, the bacterium increased water use efficiency and the inoculated soybean plants exposed to drought used 22.94% less water as compared to control, despite producing comparable biomass. We propose that the ability of the bacterium to promote root growth and also modulate plant water relations are key mechanisms that allow FMCH001 to promote growth and survival in dicotyledon plants.

AB - Spore-forming, plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPR) offer extraordinary opportunities for increasing plant productivity in climate change scenarios. Plant–water relationships, root development and photosynthetic performances are all key aspects of plant physiology determining yield, and the ability of PGPR to influence these in a coordinated manner is crucial for their success. In this study, we dissected the mode of action of a commercial Bacillus paralicheniformis FMCH001 in promoting soybean (Glycine max, seed variety: Sculptor) establishment in well-watered and drought conditions. We found that FMCH001 colonizes the roots, improved root growth and allowed plants to absorb more nutrients from the soil. FMCH001 inoculation had no effect on abscisic acid in leaf or xylem sap, while significantly improved photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate at 28 days after planting when drought stress exposed for 7 days, with depressed leaf water potential and osmotic potential. Moreover, the bacterium increased water use efficiency and the inoculated soybean plants exposed to drought used 22.94% less water as compared to control, despite producing comparable biomass. We propose that the ability of the bacterium to promote root growth and also modulate plant water relations are key mechanisms that allow FMCH001 to promote growth and survival in dicotyledon plants.

KW - drought

KW - nutrient uptake

KW - plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria

KW - soybean

KW - water use efficiency

U2 - 10.1111/jac.12639

DO - 10.1111/jac.12639

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85150595924

VL - 209

SP - 547

EP - 565

JO - Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science

JF - Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science

SN - 0931-2250

IS - 4

ER -