Efficacy of Bacillus subtilis to enhance the growth of maize under saline conditions
Keywords:
Auxin production, Bacillus subtilis, Indole-3-acetic acid, Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, Salt stressAbstract
This study investigates the role of auxin-producing Bacillus subtilis in promoting the growth of Zea mays (L.) under saline conditions. Plant growth under bacterial inoculations was assessed through rooting assays and pot experiments. The results showed that the bacterial strains produced a significant amount of auxin at different concentrations of L-tryptophan. At 0 µg/mL, strain M-1 produces auxin at approximately 128 µg/mL, and at 500 µg/mL, strain M-2 produces 74 µg/mL of auxin. In pot trials, shoot length increased by 69% with the M-1 strain at 0 mM NaCl compared to the respective control. When salt treatment was given, the shoot length of M-2 was recorded at 26% at 100 mM NaCl, 26.3% at 300 mM NaCl, and 10% at 500 mM NaCl. At 0 mM NaCl, the M-1 and M-2 strains produced a fresh weight of 30.7%. At 100 mM and 500 mM NaCl, the fresh weight of M-2 was recorded as 71.4% and 66.6%, respectively. At 300 mM NaCl, M-1 showed an improved wet weight of 65%. Similarly, at 0 mM NaCl, the M-1 and M-2 strains recorded an approximately 1-fold increase in dry weight compared to the control. However, at a higher salinity level (500 mM NaCl), the dry weight increased by around 16% compared to the respective control. The results of this study showed that the strains of B. subtilis have the potential to mitigate the salinity of maize plants under saline conditions.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Masooma Saleh, Basharat Ali (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
