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Coinoculation of Bacillus thuringeinsis-KR1 with Rhizobium leguminosarum enhances plant growth and nodulation of pea (Pisum sativum L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris L.)

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Abstract

Nodulation and the subsequent nitrogen fixation are important factors that determine the productivity of legumes. The beneficial effects of nodulation can be enhanced when rhizobial inoculation is combined with plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). The PGPB strain Bacillus thuringiensis-KR1, originally isolated from the nodules of Kudzu vine (Pueraria thunbergiana), was found to promote plant growth of field pea (Pisum sativum L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris L.) under Jensen’s tube, growth pouch and non-sterile soil, respectively, when co-inoculated with Rhizobium leguminosarum-PR1. Coinoculation with B. thuringiensis-KR1 (at a cell density of 106 c.f.u. ml−1) provided the highest and most consistent increase in nodule number, shoot weight, root weight, and total biomass, over rhizobial inoculation alone. The enhancement in nodulation due to coinoculation was 84.6 and 73.3% in pea and lentil respectively compared to R. leguminosarum-PR1 treatment alone. The shoot dry-weight gains on coinoculation with variable cell populations of B. thuringiensis-KR1 varied from 1.04 to 1.15 times and 1.03 to 1.06 times in pea and lentil respectively, while root dry weight ratios of coinoculated treatments varied from 0.98 to 1.14 times and 1.08 to 1.33 times in pea and lentil respectively, those of R. leguminosarum-PR1 inoculated treatment at 42 days of plant growth. While cell densities higher than 106 c.f.u. ml−1 had an inhibitory effect on nodulation and plant growth, lower inoculum levels resulted in decreased cell recovery and plant growth performance. The results of this study indicate the potential of harnessing endophytic bacteria of wild legumes for improving the nodulation and growth of cultivated legumes.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks are due to Dr. Yogesh Shouche, National Centre for Cell Sciences, Pune, India, for the sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene of Bacillus thuringiensis-KR1. Dr. G. Singh, V·I.H.A., Almora, Uttarakhand, India is acknowledged for providing the seed material used in this study.

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  1. Vivekananda Institute of Hill Agriculture, (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), Almora, 263601, Uttarakhand, India

    Pankaj K. Mishra, Smita Mishra, G. Selvakumar, J. K. Bisht & Hari Shankar Gupta

  2. I.I.S.S., (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), Bhopal, Madya Pradesh, India

    Samresh Kundu

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  1. Pankaj K. Mishra
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Correspondence to Pankaj K. Mishra.

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Mishra, P.K., Mishra, S., Selvakumar, G. et al. Coinoculation of Bacillus thuringeinsis-KR1 with Rhizobium leguminosarum enhances plant growth and nodulation of pea (Pisum sativum L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris L.). World J Microbiol Biotechnol 25, 753–761 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-009-9963-z

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