Cocultivation of piriformospora indica and azotobacter chroococcum for production of artemisinin

Abstract

Artemisinin is one of the major active ingredients used in artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) used in malarial treatment. It is produced from Artemisia annua L. Malaria being one of the most severe tropical diseases, dependency on the production of artemisinin has been increasing. Lower yield (0.01-1.1%) further complicates the production process. This has led to the development of alternate strategy to improve plant productivity and enhance the active ingredient. Biostimulants like Piriformospora indica and Azotobacter chroococcum have been well known for their beneficial interaction with plants. Here, we studied the impact of dual inoculation of these stimulants in the growth and productivity of artemisinin in the poly house condition. The plant growth was monitored by measuring parameters like height of plant, total dry weight, and leaf yield with an increase of 63.51, 52.61, and 79.70%, respectively, for treatment with dual biological consortium, as compared to that of control plants. This significant improvement in biomass was associated with higher total chlorophyll content (59.29%) and enhanced nutrition (especially nitrogen and phosphorus, 55.75 and 86.21%, respectively). The concentration of artemisinin along with expression patterns of artemisinin biosynthesis genes was appreciably higher in dual treatment, which showed positive correlation. The study suggested the potential use of the consortium P. indica strain DSM 11827 and A. chroococcum strain W-5 in A. annua L.