Epiphytic PGPB AFI1 and AFI2 Improve Wheat Growth and Antioxidant Status under Ni Stress.
Veronika N Pishchik, Polina S Filippova, Galina V Mirskaya, Yuriy V Khomyakov, Vitaliy E Vertebny, Viktoriya I Dubovitskaya, Yuliya V Ostankova, Aleksandr V Semenov, Debasis Chakrabarty, Evgeny V Zuev, Vladimir K Chebotar
Author Information
Veronika N Pishchik: All-Russia Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology, Podbelskogo hwy, 3, Pushkin, 196608 St. Petersburg, Russia.
Polina S Filippova: St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, North-West Centre of Interdisciplinary Researches of Problems of Food Maintenance, Podbelskogo hwy, 7, Pushkin, 196608 St. Petersburg, Russia. ORCID
Galina V Mirskaya: Agrophysical Scientific Research Institute, Grazhdansky pr. 14, 195220 St. Petersburg, Russia. ORCID
Yuriy V Khomyakov: Agrophysical Scientific Research Institute, Grazhdansky pr. 14, 195220 St. Petersburg, Russia.
Vitaliy E Vertebny: Agrophysical Scientific Research Institute, Grazhdansky pr. 14, 195220 St. Petersburg, Russia.
Viktoriya I Dubovitskaya: Agrophysical Scientific Research Institute, Grazhdansky pr. 14, 195220 St. Petersburg, Russia.
Yuliya V Ostankova: St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute, Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare, 14, Mira Str., 197101 St. Petersburg, Russia.
Aleksandr V Semenov: Yekaterinburg Research Institute of Viral Infections, The Federal Budgetary Institution of Science "State Scientific Center of Virology and Biotechnology Vector", The Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being, 23, Letnyay Str., 620030 Yekaterinburg, Russia.
Debasis Chakrabarty: CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow 22600, India. ORCID
Evgeny V Zuev: Federal Research Center N. I. Vavilov, All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources, Bolshaya Morskaya Str., 42-44, 190000 St. Petersburg, Russia. ORCID
Vladimir K Chebotar: All-Russia Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology, Podbelskogo hwy, 3, Pushkin, 196608 St. Petersburg, Russia.
The present study demonstrates the Ni toxicity-ameliorating and growth-promoting abilities of two different bacterial isolates when applied to wheat ( L.) as the host plant. Two bacterial strains tolerant to Ni stress were isolated from wheat seeds and selected based on their ability to improve the germination of wheat plants; they were identified as AFI1 and AFI2. The protective effects of these epiphytic bacteria against Ni stress were studied in model experiments with two wheat cultivars: Ni stress-tolerant Leningradskaya 6 and susceptible Chinese spring. When these isolates were used as the inoculants applied to Ni-treated wheat plants, the growth parameters and the levels of photosynthetic pigments of the two wheat cultivars both under normal and Ni-stress conditions were increased, though AFI1 had a more pronounced ameliorative effect on the Ni contents in plant tissues due to its synthesis of siderophores. Over the 10 days of Ni exposure, the plant growth promotion bacteria (PGPB) significantly reduced the lipid peroxidation (LPO), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and proline content in the leaves of both wheat cultivars. The PGPB also increased peroxidase (POX) activity and the levels of chlorophyll , chlorophyll , and carotenoids in the wheat leaves. It was concluded that AFI1 is an ideal candidate for bioremediation and wheat growth promotion against Ni-induced oxidative stress, as it increases photosynthetic pigment contents, induces the antioxidant defense system, and lowers Ni metal uptake.
