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Plant function and evolutionary biology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Copper and iron metal resistant rhizospheric bacteria boost the plant growth and bacoside A content in Bacopa monnieri under stress conditions

Ramesh Kumar Kushwaha https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0098-0398 A * , Samyukta Madhav Joshi A # , Renuka Bajaj A # , Anthati Mastan B , Vinay Kumar C , Himani Patel D , S. Jayashree A and Satya Prakash Chaudhary E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Biochemistry, School of Allied Health Sciences, REVA University, Bangalore 560064, Karnataka, India.

B Microbial Technology Laboratory, CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research)-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Research Center, Bangalore 560065, Karnataka, India.

C Plant Genetic Resources and Improvement Division, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow 226001, Uttar Pradesh, India.

D Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow 226007, Uttar Pradesh, India.

E Department of Dravyagun, IMS (Institute of Medical Sciences), Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India.

* Correspondence to: Kushwaha.rameshkumar@gmail.com
# These authors contributed equally to this paper

Handling Editor: Jian Feng Ma

Functional Plant Biology 50(6) 482-496 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP22263
Submitted: 22 November 2022  Accepted: 21 March 2023   Published: 13 April 2023

© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

Bacteria that enhance plant growth and development and are found in the vicinity of roots are referred to as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. Some beneficial bacteria help plant tolerance to many hazardous chemical elements. In this context, Cupriavidus basilensis, Novosphingobium humi, Bacillus zanthoxyli, Bacillus sp., Paenibacillus alvei, Ancylobacter aquaticus and Ralstonia syzygii metal-tolerant rhizospheric bacteria were isolated from rhizospheric soil associated with Bacopa monnieri. The beneficial effects of rhizospheric bacteria on B. monnieri plant physiology and biochemical responses were investigated under pot conditions at two levels (100 μM and 500 μM) of CuSO4 or FeCl3. N. humi, A. aquaticus and R. syzygii bacterial strains were associated with significantly increased height and biomass under normal and stress conditions. An assay for indole acetic acid in isolated rhizospheric bacteria found differential secretion except Bacillus zanthoxyli. Bacoside A is a major phytocompound in B. monnieri with medicinal value; maximum induction was observed in the R. syzygii treatment. High concentration of copper and iron salts negatively influenced height, biomass and photosynthetic pigments; however N. humi, A. aquaticus, Bacilllus sp. and R. syzygii beneficial bacterial helped plants under stress conditions. Moreover, a significant enhancement in chlorophyll a and b was noticed in C. basilensis, B. zanthoxyli, Bacilllus sp., P. alvei and R. syzygii treatments, without much influence on carotenoid levels. Therefore, the present study emphasises the importance of isolating plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria for use in bacopa plants exposed to metals such as copper and iron in soil.

Keywords: Bacopa monnieri, bacoside A, copper sulfate, indole acetic acid, iron chloride, PGPR, photosynthetic pigments, rhizospheric bacteria.


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