Abstract
Drought is the most important factor limiting the activity of rhizobia during N-fixation and plant growth. In the present study, we isolated Bradyrhizobium spp. from root nodules of higher trehalose-accumulating soybean genotypes and examined for moisture stress tolerance on a gradient of polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) amended in yeast extract mannitol (YEM) broth. In addition, the bradyrhizobial strains were also evaluated for symbiotic effectiveness on soybean. Based on 16S rDNA gene sequences, four bradyrhizobial species were recovered from high trehalose-accumulating genotypes, i.e., two Bradyrhizobium liaoningense strains (accession number KX230053, KX230054) from EC 538828 and PK-472, respectively, one Bradyrhizobium daqingense (accession number KX230052) from PK-472, and one Bradyrhizobium kavangense (accession number MN197775) from Valder genotype having low trehalose. These strains, along with two native strains, viz., Bradyrhizobium japonicum (JF792425), Bradyrhizobium liaoningense (JF792426), and one commercial rhizobium, were studied for nodulation, leghaemoglobin, and N-fixation abilities on soybean under sterilized sand microcosm conditions in a completely randomized design. Among all the strains, D-4A (B. daqingense) followed by D-4B (B. liaoningense) was found to have significantly higher nodulation traits and acetylene reduction assay (ARA) activity when compared to other strains and commercial rhizobia. The bradyrhizobia isolates showed plant growth promotion traits such as indole acetic acid (IAA), exopolysaccharide (EPS), and siderophore production, phosphate-solubilizing potential, and proline accumulation. The novel species B. daqingense was reported for the first time from Indian soil and observed to be a potential candidate strain and should be evaluated for conferring drought tolerance in soybean under simulated stress conditions.
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The datasets generated during and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful to the Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Soybean Research, Indore, India, for providing infrastructure facilities. This work is part of the AMAAS network sub-project funded by AMAAS, ICAR-NBAIM Mau, India, vide grant no. NBAIM/AMAAS/2014-17/PF/30 to MPS.
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This work was supported by AMAAS, ICAR-NBAIM Mau, India, vide grant no. NBAIM/AMAAS/2014-17/PF/30 to corresponding author MPS.
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AB, SG, and HSM performed the laboratory experiments, analyzed the results, and wrote the first draft. KA and AP analyzed trehalose in the root nodules. MPS, GS, and Anil Prakash contributed to the conception and design of the study, and the revision of the article. All authors read, critically commented, and approved the final version of the manuscript.
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Bharti, A., Maheshwari, H.S., Garg, S. et al. Exploring potential soybean bradyrhizobia from high trehalose-accumulating soybean genotypes for improved symbiotic effectiveness in soybean. Int Microbiol 26, 973–987 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10123-023-00351-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10123-023-00351-3