Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria from heavy metal contaminated soil promote growth attributes of Pisum sativum L.

Abstract In natural soil environment, microbial communities demonstrate a cooperative relationship with crops yield through the plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). In present report, we have explored the PGPRs for the plant growth promoting activities. In our recent report, the isolated strains were isolated from the industrial soil. Out of four rhizobacterial species, two strains (Bacillus thuringiensis PS-1 and Azotobacter chroococcum PS-2) have shown higher PGPR activity. Both stains were selected for their growth promoting activity in garden pea (Pisum sativum) variety P88 which had significantly higher germination percentage. Four different treatments, P. sativum without bacterial inoculum, P. sativum + B. thuringiensis PS-1, P. sativum + A. chroococcum PS-2 and P. sativum + bacterial consortium (control) were considered to make the comparative analysis of parameters like seed germination, plant height, plant relative water content, chlorophyll content, number of pods, number of leaves and root length in P. sativum. Among these treatments, seeds treated with bacterial consortium were significantly better in terms of plant height (87.78 ± 4.15 cm; p < 0.05); weight (93.45 ± 4.85 g; p < 0.05); number of leaves (80 ± 3.54; p < 0.05) and chlorophyll content (2.56 ± 0.78; p < 0.05) on day 60 post-inoculation. P. sativum + consortium treated group has showed the best result among all the treated and non-treated groups. Meticulous use of these rhizospheric bacteria could aid phytoremediation against the agrochemicals and heavy metals along with plants better growth. Highlights • Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria Bacillus thuringiensis PS-1 and Azotobacter chroococcum PS-2 were isolated. • Both strains were tested for their plant growth promoting activities against pea (Pisum sativum) variety P88. • Consortium treated group showed the best result among all the treated and non treated groups (at p < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]