The Effects of Phyllosphere Bacteria on Plant Physiology and Growth of Soybean Infected with <i>Pseudomonas syringae</i>

oleh: Charles Agbavor, Babur S. Mirza, Alexander Wait

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-10-01

Deskripsi

Phyllosphere bacteria are an important determinant of plant growth and resistance to pathogens. However, the efficacy of phyllosphere bacteria in regulating infection of <i>Pseudomonas syringae pv. glycinea</i> (<i>Psg</i>) and its influence on soybean growth and physiology is unknown. In a greenhouse study, we assessed the influence of a phyllosphere bacterial consortium (BC) of 13 species isolated from field-grown soybean leaves on uninfected and deliberately <i>Psg</i> infected soybean plants. We measured <i>Psg</i> density on infected leaves with and without the application of the BC. The BC application resulted in a significant reduction in <i>Psg</i> cells. We also measured plant biomass, nodule mass and number, gas exchange, and leaf chlorophyll and nitrogen in four treatment groups: control plants, plants with a BC and no infection (BC), plants with BC and infected with <i>Psg</i> (BC + <i>Psg</i>), and plants infected with <i>Psg</i> alone. For all variables, plants infected with <i>Psg</i> alone showed significant reduction in measured variables compared to both BC treatments. Therefore, the bacterial consortium was effective in controlling the negative effects of <i>Psg</i> on growth and physiology. The BC treatment sometimes resulted in increases in measured variables such as plant biomass, nodule numbers, and leaf chlorophyll as compared to control and BC + <i>Psg</i> treatments. Overall, the positive influence of BC treatment on plant growth and physiology highlights its potential applications to increase crop yield and control bacterial pathogens.