The Combined Inoculation of Curvularia lunata AR11 and Biochar Stimulates Synthetic Silicon and Potassium Phosphate Use Efficiency, and Mitigates Salt and Drought Stresses in Rice

Arjun Adhikari; Muhammad Aaqil Khan; Muhammad Imran; Ko-Eun Lee; Sang-Mo Kang; Jin Y Shin; Gil-Jae Joo; Murtaza Khan; Byung-Wook Yun; In-Jung Lee

doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.816858

The Combined Inoculation of Curvularia lunata AR11 and Biochar Stimulates Synthetic Silicon and Potassium Phosphate Use Efficiency, and Mitigates Salt and Drought Stresses in Rice

Front Plant Sci. 2022 Mar 3:13:816858. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.816858. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea.
² Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Medgar Evers College, The City University of New York, New York City, NY, United States.
³ Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea.

Abstract

Synthetic chemical fertilizers are a fundamental source of nutrition for agricultural crops; however, their limited availability, low plant uptake, and excessive application have caused severe ecological imbalances. In addition, the gravity of environmental stresses, such as salinity and water stress, has already exceeded the threshold limit. Therefore, the optimization of nutrient efficiency in terms of plant uptake is crucial for sustainable agricultural production. To address these challenges, we isolated the rhizospheric fungus Curvularia lunata ARJ2020 (AR11) and screened the optimum doses of biochar, silicon, and potassium phosphate (K₂HPO₄), and used them-individually or jointly-to treat rice plants subjected to salt (150 mM) and drought stress (20-40% soil moisture). Bioassay analysis revealed that AR11 is a highly halotolerant and drought-resistant strain with an innate ability to produce gibberellin (GA₁, GA₃, GA₄, and GA₇) and organic acids (i.e., acetic, succinic, tartaric, and malic acids). In the plant experiment, the co-application of AR11 + Biochar + Si + K₂HPO₄ significantly improved rice growth under both salt and drought stresses. The plant growth regulator known as abscisic acid, was significantly reduced in co-application-treated rice plants exposed to both drought and salt stress conditions. These plants showed higher Si (80%), P (69%), and K (85%) contents and a markedly low Na⁺ ion (208%) concentration. The results were further validated by the higher expression of the Si-carrying gene OsLSi1, the salt-tolerant gene OsHKT2, and the OsGRAS23's drought-tolerant transcriptome. Interestingly, the beneficial effect of AR11 was significantly higher than that of the co-application of Biochar + Si + K₂HPO₄ under drought. Moreover, the proline content of AR11-treated plants decreased significantly, and an enhancement of plant growth-promoting characteristics was observed. These results suggest that the integrated co-application of biochar, chemical fertilizers, and microbiome could mitigate abiotic stresses, stimulate the bioavailability of essential nutrients, relieve phytotoxicity, and ultimately enhance plant growth.

Keywords: PGPMs; abiotic stress; environment; fertilizer; nutrient; physiology.