The use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria is economically viable and environmentally safe for mitigating various plant stresses. Abiotic stresses such as flood and drought are a serious threat to present day agriculture. In the present study, the indole-3-acetic acid-producing rhizobacterium R. sphaeroides KE149 was selected, and its effect on the growth of adzuki bean plants was investigated under flood stress (FS) and drought stress (DS). IAA quantification of bacterial pure culture revealed that KE149 produced significant amount of IAA. KE149 inoculation significantly decreased stress-responsive endogenous abscisic acid and jasmonic acid and increased salicylic acid in plants under DS and FS. KE149 inoculation also increased proline under DS and methionine under FS. Moreover, KE149 inoculation significantly increased the calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K) content and lowered the sodium (Na) content in the plant shoot under stress. KE149-treated plants had significantly higher root length, shoot length, stem diameter, biomass, and chlorophyll content under both normal and stressed conditions. These results suggest that KE149 could be an efficient biofertilizer for mitigating water stress.
Keywords: Abiotic stress; Rhodobacter sphaeroides KE149; drought; flood; phytohormones.