Effects of Plant-Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria on Yield, Growth, and Some Physiological Characteristics of Wheat and Barley Plants

Abstract

In 2009 a greenhouse experiment was conducted to determine the effects of boron (B) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) treatments, applied either alone or in combination, on yield, plant growth, leaf total chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, membrane leakage, and leaf relative water content of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Bezostiya) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Tokak) plants. Results showed that alone or combined B (0, 1, 3, 6, 9 kg ha⁻¹) and PGPR (Bacillus megaterium M3, Bacillus subtilis OSU142, Azospirillum brasilense Sp245, and Raoultella terrigena) treatments positively affected dry weight and physiological parameters searched in both species. Statistically significant differences were observed between bacterial inoculation and B fertilizer on root and shoot dry weight under non-cold-stress (NCS) and cold-stress (CS) conditions. Leaf total chlorophyll content (LTCC), stomatal conductance (SC), leaf relative water content (LRWC), and membrane leakage (ML) were negatively affected by CS conditions and decreased with reduced temperatures of media, but B and PGPR application alleviate the low-temperature deleterious effect in both species. The greatest SC and LRWC, and the lowest ML, were obtained by 6 kg B ha⁻¹ combined with R. terrigena treatment. The greatest LTCC in both NCS and CS conditions was observed with B. megaterium M3 application alone.

Keywords:

• Boron
• cold hardiness
• plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria
• stomatal conductance
• total chlorophyll content

Acknowledgment

We are very grateful to EU FP6-FOOD-CT-2006, STREP Project RHIBAC for the generous financial support for this study.