| Summary: | The formation of apoplastic barriers is important for controlling the uptake of water and ions by plants, thereby influencing plant growth. However, the effects of plant growth-promoting bacteria on the formation of apoplastic barriers, and the relationship between these effects and the ability of bacteria to influence the content of hormones in plants, have not been sufficiently studied. The content of cytokinins, auxins and potassium, characteristics of water relations, deposition of lignin and suberin and the formation of Casparian bands in the root endodermis of durum wheat (<i>Triticum durum</i> Desf.) plants were evaluated after the introduction of the cytokinin-producing bacterium <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> IB-22 or the auxin-producing bacterium <i>Pseudomonas mandelii</i> IB-Ki14 into their rhizosphere. The experiments were carried out in laboratory conditions in pots with agrochernozem at an optimal level of illumination and watering. Both strains increased shoot biomass, leaf area and chlorophyll content in leaves. Bacteria enhanced the formation of apoplastic barriers, which were most pronounced when plants were treated with <i>P. mandelii</i> IB-Ki14. At the same time, <i>P. mandelii</i> IB-Ki14 caused no decrease in the hydraulic conductivity, while inoculation with <i>B. subtilis</i> IB-22, increased hydraulic conductivity. Cell wall lignification reduced the potassium content in the roots, but did not affect its content in the shoots of plants inoculated with <i>P. mandelii</i> IB-Ki14. Inoculation with <i>B. subtilis</i> IB-22 did not change the potassium content in the roots, but increased it in the shoots.
|
|---|