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Functional Plant Biology Functional Plant Biology Society
Plant function and evolutionary biology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi modify alleviation biochemical mechanisms in water-stressed plants

Josef Kohler A , José Antonio Hernández B , Fuensanta Caravaca A C and Antonio Roldán A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Soil and Water Conservation, CSIC-Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura, PO Box 164, Campus de Espinardo, Murcia 30100, Spain.

B Department of Plant Breeding, CSIC-Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura, PO Box 164, Campus de Espinardo, Murcia 30100, Spain.

C Corresponding author. Email: fcb@cebas.csic.es

Functional Plant Biology 35(2) 141-151 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP07218
Submitted: 7 September 2007  Accepted: 14 January 2008   Published: 19 March 2008

Abstract

This study examined the effect of inoculation with the plant-growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) Pseudomonas mendocina Palleroni, alone or in combination with an arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus, Glomus intraradices (Schenk & Smith) or Glomus mosseae (Nicol & Gerd.) Gerd. & Trappe, on antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, catalase and total peroxidase activities), phosphatase and nitrate reductase activities and solute accumulation in leaves of Lactuca sativa L. cv. Tafalla affected by three different levels of water stress. At moderate drought, bacterial inoculation and mycorrhizal inoculation with G. intraradices, alone or in combination, stimulated significantly nitrate reductase activity. At severe drought, fertilisation and P. mendocina inoculation, alone or in combination with either of the selected AM fungi, increased significantly phosphatase activity in lettuce roots and proline accumulation in leaves. Total peroxidase (POX) and catalase (CAT) activities increased in response to drought, whereas superoxide dismutase activity decreased. Inorganic fertilisation and both combined treatments of PGPR and AM fungus showed the highest values of leaf POX activity under severe drought. The highest CAT activity was recorded in the fertilised plants followed by the P. mendocina-inoculated plants grown under severe stress conditions. These results support the potential use of a PGPR as an inoculant to alleviate the oxidative damage produced under water stress.

Additional keywords: antioxidant enzymes, proline, Pseudomonas mendocina, water stress.


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