Potassium mobilizing bacteria: enhance potassium intake in paddy to regulates membrane permeability and accumulate carbohydrates under salinity stress

Abstract

Potassium is one of the important key elements in terms of quantitative plant requirement. Although it is abundant in soils, in both organic and inorganic forms, but its availability is restricted as it occurs mostly in insoluble forms. Soil bacteria inhabiting around/on the root surface and facilitate the plant growth by various methods has been isolated from the paddy rhizosphere. Among many isolates, two isolates Bacillus pumilus and Pseudomanas pseudoalcaligenes were evaluated for their ability to solubilize potassium to help plant in its growth promotion in the greenhouse condition. Selected bacteria were analysed for their potassium solubilizing ability on different sources and also for various growth related physiology including accumulation of carbohydrate as osmoprotectant under saline stress. Potassium solubilizing bacteria (KMB) protect the plants from salinity injury by enhancing its growth related physiology like, stomatal conductance, electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation. Plant inoculated with potassium mobilizing bacteria (KMB) also accumulate more type and number of soluble carbohydrates analyzed by GCMS analysis in leaves under salinity, which helps the plant to overcome osmotic stress.