• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.47 no.1
• /
• pp.105-115
• /
• 2019

Saline or alkaline condition in soil inhibits growth of most crop plants and limits crop yields in many parts of the world. Augmenting an alkaline soil with alkali-tolerant bacteria capable of promoting plant growth can be a promising approach in expanding fertile agricultural land. Near-shore environments of Dokdo Island, a remote island located in the middle of the East Sea, appear to have patches of seawater-influenced haloalkaline soil that is unsupportive for growth of conventional plants. To exploit metabolic capacities of alkali-tolerant bacteria for promoting plant growth in saline or alkaline soils, we isolated of alkali-tolerant bacteria from near-shore soil samples in Dokdo and investigated properties of the isolates. Alkali-tolerant bacteria were selectively cultivated by inoculating suspended and diluted soil samples on a plate medium adjusted to pH 10. Fifty colonies were identified based on their $GTG_5$-PCR genomic fingerprints and 16S rRNA gene sequences. Most isolates were affiliated to alkali-tolerant and/or halotolerant genera or species of the phyla Firmicutes (68%), Proteobacteria (30%) and Actinobacteria (2%). Unlike the typical soil bacterial flora in the island, alkali-tolerant isolates belonged to only certain taxa of terrestrial origin under the three phyla, which have traits of plant growth promoting activities including detoxification, phytohormone production, disease/pest control, nitrogen-fixation, phosphate solubilization or siderophore production. However, Firmicutes of marine origin generally dominated the alkali-tolerant community. Results of this study suggest that haloalkaline environments like Dokdo shore soils are important sources for plant growth promoting bacteria that can be employed in bio-augmentation of vegetation-poor alkaline soils.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.173-181
• /
• 2021

The genus Streptomyces demonstrates enormous promise in promoting plant growth and protecting plants against various pathogens. Single and consortium treatments of two selected Streptomyces strains (Streptomyces shenzhenensis TKSC3 and Streptomyces sp. SS8) were evaluated for their growth-promoting potential on rice, and biocontrol efficiency through induced systemic resistance (ISR) mediation against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc), the causal agent of rice bacterial leaf streak (BLS) disease. Seed bacterization by Streptomyces strains improved seed germination and vigor, relative to the untreated seed. Under greenhouse conditions, seed bacterization with consortium treatment TKSC3 + SS8 increased seed germination, root length, and dry weight by 20%, 23%, and 33%, respectively. Single and consortium Streptomyces treatments also successfully suppressed Xoc infection. The result was consistent with defense-related enzyme quantification wherein single and consortium Streptomyces treatments increased peroxidase (POX), polyphenol oxidase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, and β,1-3 glucanase (GLU) accumulation compared to untreated plant. Within all Streptomyces treatments, consortium treatment TKSC3 + SS8 showed the highest disease suppression efficiency (81.02%) and the lowest area under the disease progress curve value (95.79), making it the best to control BLS disease. Consortium treatment TKSC3 + SS8 induced the highest POX and GLU enzyme activities at 114.32 µmol/min/mg protein and 260.32 abs/min/mg protein, respectively, with both enzymes responsible for plant cell wall reinforcement and resistant interaction. Our results revealed that in addition to promoting plant growth, these Streptomyces strains also mediated ISR in rice plants, thereby, ensuring protection from BLS disease.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.17 no.8
• /
• pp.1361-1368
• /
• 2007

Endophytic bacteria associated with the roots of coastal sand dune plants were isolated, taxonomically characterized, and tested for their plant growth-promoting activities. Ninety-one endophytic bacterial isolates were collected and assigned to 17 different genera of 6 major bacterial phyla based on partial 16S rDNA sequence analyses. Gammaproteobacteria represented the majority of the isolates (65.9%), and members of Pseudomonas constituted 49.5% of the total isolates. When testing for antagonism towards plant pathogenic fungi, 25 strains were antagonistic towards Rhizoctonia solani, 57 strains were antagonistic towards Pythium ultimum, 53 strains were antagonistic towards Fusarium oxysporum, and 41 strains were antagonistic towards Botrytis cinerea. Seven strains were shown to produce indole acetic acid (IAA), 33 to produce siderophores, 23 to produce protease, 37 to produce pectinase, and 38 to produce chitinase. The broadest spectra of activities were observed among the Pseudomonas strains, indicating outstanding plant growth-promoting potential. The isolates from C. kobomugi and M. sibirica also exhibited good plant growth-promoting potential. The correlations among individual plant growth-promoting activities were examined using phi coefficients, and the resulting data indicated that the production of protease, pectinase, chitinase, and siderophores was highly related.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.43 no.6
• /
• pp.510-515
• /
• 2005

The growth of red pepper plants was enhanced by treatment with the rhizobacterium, Bacillus cereus MJ-1. Red pepper shoots showed a 1.38-fold increase in fresh weight (fw) and roots showed a 1.28-fold fw gain. This plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) has been reported to produce gibberellins (GAs). Other GAs-producing rhizobacteria, Bacillus macroides CJ-29 and Bacillus pumilus CJ-69, also enhanced the fw of the plants. They were less effective than B. cereus MJ-1, though. The endogenous GAs content of pepper shoots inoculated with MJ-1 was also higher than in shoots inoculated with CJ-29 or CJ-69. When inoculated with MJ-1, bacterial colonization rate of the roots was higher than that of roots inoculated with CJ-29 or CJ-69. These results support the idea that the plant growth-promoting effect of the bacteria also positively related with the efficiency of root colonization by the bacteria. In addition, we identified the major endogenous GAs of the red pepper as originating from both the early C-13 hydroxylation and the early non C-13 hydroxylation pathways, with the latter being the predominant pathway of GA biosynthesis in red pepper shoots.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.49 no.3
• /
• pp.374-383
• /
• 2021

Rhizoctonia solani is one of the major pathogens that cause sheath blight disease in rice. Sheath blight is one of the most difficult diseases to control. Biological control (with the use of rhizobacteria) is one of the ways to control this disease. Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) is a rhizosphere bacterium that can be used to enhance plant growth. The composition of the rhizobacteria in organic and nonorganic soil is affected by the chemical characteristics of the soil - which influences plant physiology and root exudation patterns. This study aimed to obtain a species of rhizobacteria which shows PGPR activity, from organic and nonorganic rice fields and test their capability to suppress R. solani growth. Out of 23 isolates screened for PGPR activity, the following isolates showed high PGPR activity and were selected for in vitro antagonistic activity testing against R. solani: ISO6, ISO11, ISO15, ISN2, ISN3, and ISN7, The six isolates produced 43,42-75,23 ppm of IAA, possessed phosphorus solubilization capability, and chitinase-producing activity. ISO6 (54.88%) and ISN7 (83.33%) displayed high inhibition capacities against R. solani, in vitro. ISO6 and ISN7 inhibited the growth of R. solani lesions on rice leaves by 89% and 100% (without lesion), respectively, after 7 days of incubation. Analysis of their 16S rRNA sequences revealed that the ISO6 isolate was Citrobacter freundii and ISN7 isolate was Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
• /
• 2003.10a
• /
• pp.95.1-95
• /
• 2003

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have been shown to suppress phytopthora blight. This suppression has been related to both microbial antagonism and induced resistance. The PGPR isolates were screened by dual culture plate method and most of the isolates were showed varying levels of antagonism. Among the PGPR isolates pyoverdin, pyochelin and salicylic acid producing strains showed the maximum inhibition of mycelial growth of Phytopkhora capsici and increased plant growth promotion in red pepper. PGPR isolates further analysed for its ability to induce production of defence related enzymes and chemicals. The activities such as Phenyle alanin ammonia Iyase (PAL), Peroxidase (PO), Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and accumulation of phenolics were observed in PGPR pretreated red pepper plants challenged with Phytopkhora capsici. The present study shows that an addition of direct antagonism and plant growth promotion, induction of defense related enzymes involved to enhance resistance against invasion of P. capsici in red pepper.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2010.10a
• /
• pp.17-17
• /
• 2010

Rhizobacteria are a diverse group of free-living soil bacteria that live in plant rhizosphere and colonized the root system. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) possessing ACC deaminase (ACCD) can reduce ACC and ethylene in plant tissue and mediated the growth of plants under various stresses including salt stress. ACCD decrease ethylene levels in plant tissue that produce high levels of ethylene in tissue via elevated levels of ACC under salt stress. We selected strains of Pseudomonas sp. possessing ACCD activity for their ability to promote plant growth under salt stress from soil sample collected at Byeonsan, Jeonbuk, South Korea. The Pseudomonas strains possessing ACCD increased the rate of the seedling and growth of chinese cabbage seeds under salt stress. We cloned ACCD gene from P.fluorescens and expressed recombinant protein in Escherichia coli. The active form of recombinant ACCD converted ACC to a-ketobutyrate. The in vivo treatment of recombinant ACCD itself increase the rate of the seedling and growth of Chinese cabbage seeds under salt stress. The polyclonal P.fluorescens anti-ACCD antibody specifically reacted with ACCD originated from Pseudomonas. This indicates that the antibody might act as an important indicator for ACCD driven from Pseudomonas exhibiting plant growth-promoting activity. This study will be useful for identification of newly isolated PGPR containing ACCD and exploioting the ACCD activity from PGPR against various biotic and abiotic stresses.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.64-71
• /
• 2002

Plant growth promoting activity of quinolinone metabolites, 2-(2-hepteny)-3-methyl-4-quinolinone (1), 2-heptyl-3-methyl-4-quinolinone, and 2-nonyl-3-methyl-4-quinolinone, produced by Pseudomonas cepacia and ethyl 2-methyl-3-alkyl-4-quinolinone carboxylates chemically synthesized were tested by using seed-germination assay, growth increments in plant height after foliar applications. Plant height increment, fresh weight, and the number of fruits were measured after seed-soaking and drench treatment. Compound 1 among the natural products showed a consistent growth promoting effect in seed-germination and plant height after a foliar application. After a seed-soaking and drench treatment, compound 1 and synthetic ethyl 2-methyl-4-quinolinone-3-carboxylate (5) showed a significant enhancement in fresh weight and the number of fruits after harvest. Compound 1 and 5 increased the number of fruits per plant by 44% and 84% over the control, respectively.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.31 no.7
• /
• pp.641-653
• /
• 2021

The purpose of this study was to confirm the antifungal activity, plant growth-promoting activity, and mineral solubilizing activity of 18 types of bacteria isolated purely from rhizosphere soil. The potential of isolates of the genus Bacillus and Pseudomonas as biocontrol agents was confirmed through the antifungal activity of these isolates. This activity has been determined to be due to various hydrolytic enzymes on the cell wall of plant pathogenic fungi and the production of siderophores in isolates. In addition, most of the isolates have been found to have aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase production activity, indole-3-acetic acid production activity, and nitrogen fixation activity. These characteristics are believed to have a positive effect on root development, growth, and the productivity of crops via a reduction in the concentration of ethylene under conditions of environmental stress, to which plants are commonly exposed. In addition, on testing for the solubilizing activity of the isolates for phosphoric acid, silicon, calcium carbonate, and zinc, some isolates were found to have mineral solubilizing activities. Inoculation of these isolates during plant growth is expected to assist plant growth by converting nutrients necessary for growth into usable forms that can be absorbed by plants. The 18 isolated strains can be used as biocontrol agents due to their antifungal activity, plant growthpromoting activity, and mineral solubilizing activity.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.218-235
• /
• 2018

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria and endophytic bacteria were isolated from different varieties of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) from South India. Totally 50 strains representing, 30 PGPR and 20 endophytic bacteria were identified based on biochemical assays and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The isolates were screened for antagonistic activity against Pythium aphanidermatum (Edson) Fitzp., and Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn., causing rhizome rot and leaf blight diseases in turmeric, by dual culture and liquid culture assays. Results revealed that only five isolates of PGPR and four endophytic bacteria showed more than 70% suppression of test pathogens in both assays. The SEM studies of interaction zone showed significant ultrastructural changes of the hyphae like shriveling, breakage and desication of the pathogens by PGPR B. cereus (RBacDOB-S24) and endophyte P. aeruginosa (BacDOB-E19). Selected isolates showed multiple Plant growth promoting traits. The rhizome bacterization followed by soil application of B. cereus (RBacDOB-S24) showed lowest Percent Disease Incidence (PDI) of rhizome rot and leaf blight, 16.4% and 15.5% respectively. Similarly, P. aeruginosa (BacDOB-E19) recorded PDI of rhizome rot (17.5%) and leaf blight (17.7%). The treatment of these promising isolates exhibited significant increase in plant height and fresh rhizome yield/plant in comparison with untreated control under greenhouse condition. Thereby, these isolates can be exploited as a potential biocontrol agent for suppressing rhizome rot and leaf blight diseases in turmeric.