article · Sustainability
Four bacterial strains isolated from wheat rhizosphere soil in Egypt demonstrate significant capacity to improve the growth and drought resilience of Egyptian wheat. Laboratory evaluation showed that the isolates, identified as three Bacillus strains and one Myroides strain, possess beneficial traits including nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilisation, indole-3-acetic acid production, and ACC deaminase activity. In greenhouse trials using the Gimmeza-9 wheat cultivar subjected to a ten-day drought period, inoculation with these strains markedly boosted plant performance. Inoculation with Bacillus rugosus produced the most notable gains, raising root length by 134.9 percent, shoot length by 108.5 percent, and dry biomass by 77.2 percent relative to uninoculated controls. Treated wheat plants also maintained higher chlorophyll and proline concentrations alongside lower levels of malondialdehyde, confirming enhanced physiological protection under water-deficit conditions.
Drought severely restricts cereal crop yields in arid and semi-arid regions. Utilising naturally occurring soil bacteria to enhance root development and stress tolerance offers a biological approach to sustaining grain production during water shortages. These findings show how specific microbial treatments can support the survival and physiological health of wheat crops facing acute water deficits.
The evaluated strains show promise for development into agricultural biofertilisers aimed at cereal farmers operating in water-scarce environments. Because the findings are based on greenhouse testing, the technology represents early-stage research. Transitioning to real-world deployment would require product formulation, shelf-life testing, and extensive open-field validation under varied soil and climate conditions.
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Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) represent a promising strategy for enhancing plant resilience and yields under drought-stress conditions. This study isolated and characterized PGPR from wheat rhizosphere soil in Egypt. Four PGPR strains were evaluated for an array of plant growth-promoting traits, including IAA production, biofilm formation, siderophore production, nitrogen fixation, ACC deaminase activity, phosphate solubilization, and antagonistic potential. Molecular identification via 16S rRNA sequencing classified three isolates (MMH101, MMH102, and MMH103) within the Bacillus genus and one isolate (MMH104) as Myroides sp. Greenhouse experiments examined the effects of PGPR inoculation on the drought-stressed Egyptian wheat cultivar, Gimmeza-9. Wheat plants inoculated with PGPR isolates showed dramatic improvements in growth parameters and stress tolerance indicators compared to non-inoculated controls when subjected to a 10-day drought period, with Bacillus rugosus (MMH101) inoculation resulting in increases of 61.8% in fresh biomass, 77.2% in dry biomass, 108.5% shoot length, and 134.9% root length. PGPR treatments also elevated the chlorophyll and proline content while reducing malondialdehyde levels. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of PGPR inoculation in enhancing the morphology, physiology, and drought stress resilience of wheat. Isolated PGPR strains hold promise as biofertilizers for improving cereal productivity under water-deficit conditions.
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DOI: 10.3390/su16114605
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