Rhizobacteria Associated with a Native Solanaceae Promote Plant Growth and Decrease the Effects of <i>Fusarium</i><i>oxysporum</i> in Tomato

• Main Authors: Carmen Sanjuana Delgado-Ramírez, Rufina Hernández-Martínez, Edgardo Sepúlveda
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-03-01
• Series: Agronomy
• Subjects: biological control; biofertilizers; <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i>; PGPR; microbial diversity; Arid Zone
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/3/579

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria are often utilized to improve crop health and productivity. Nevertheless, their positive effects can be hindered if they fail to withstand the environmental and ecological conditions of the regions where they are applied. An alternative approach to circumvent this problem is a tailored selection of bacteria for specific agricultural systems. In this work, we evaluated the plant growth promoting and pathogen inhibition activity of rhizobacteria obtained from the rhizosphere of Mariola (<i>Solanum hindsianum</i>), an endemic shrub from Baja California. Eight strains were capable of inhibiting <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> in vitro, and thirteen strains were found to possess three or more plant-growth-promotion traits. Molecular identification of these strains, using 16 s rRNA partial sequences, identified them as belonging to the genera <i>Arthrobacter</i>, <i>Bacillus, Paenibacillus</i>, <i>Pseudomonas,</i> and <i>Streptomyces.</i> Finally, the effect of selected plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) strains on the growth and suppression of Fusarium wilt in tomato was evaluated. Results showed that these strains improved tomato plants growth under greenhouse conditions and reduced Fusarium wilt effects, as reflected in several variables such as length and weight of roots and stem. This work highlights the potential of native plants related to regionally important crops as a valuable source of beneficial bacteria.