The Interactive Effects of Deficit Irrigation and <i>Bacillus pumilus</i> Inoculation on Growth and Physiology of Tomato Plant

The effects of inoculating plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and soil water deficits on crop growth and physiology remain largely unknown. Here, the responses of leaf gas exchange, growth, and water use efficiency (WUE) of tomato plants to <i>Bacillus pumilus</i> (<i>B.p....

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Main Authors: Jie Liu, Jiarui Zhang, Qimiao Shi, Xiangliang Liu, Zhen Yang, Pan Han, Jingjing Li, Zhenhua Wei, Tiantian Hu, Fulai Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-02-01
Series:Plants
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/3/670
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author Jie Liu
Jiarui Zhang
Qimiao Shi
Xiangliang Liu
Zhen Yang
Pan Han
Jingjing Li
Zhenhua Wei
Tiantian Hu
Fulai Liu
author_facet Jie Liu
Jiarui Zhang
Qimiao Shi
Xiangliang Liu
Zhen Yang
Pan Han
Jingjing Li
Zhenhua Wei
Tiantian Hu
Fulai Liu
author_sort Jie Liu
collection DOAJ
description The effects of inoculating plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and soil water deficits on crop growth and physiology remain largely unknown. Here, the responses of leaf gas exchange, growth, and water use efficiency (WUE) of tomato plants to <i>Bacillus pumilus</i> (<i>B.p.</i>) inoculation under four irrigation strategies (I1-I4) were investigated in a greenhouse. Results showed that soil water deficits, especially at I4 (20%, <i>v</i>/<i>v</i>), significantly decreased leaf stomatal conductance (g<sub>s</sub>), transpiration rate (T<sub>r</sub>), and photosynthetic rate (A<sub>n</sub>), and the decrease of g<sub>s</sub> and T<sub>r</sub> were more pronounced than A<sub>n</sub>. Reduced irrigation regimes significantly lowered dry matter and plant water use both in the non-<i>B.p.</i> control and the <i>B.p.</i> plants, while reduced irrigation significantly increased plant WUE, and <i>B.p.</i> inoculation had little effect on this parameter. Synergistic effects of PGPR and deficit irrigation on leaf gas exchange, leaf abscisic acid content, and stomatal density were found in this study, and specifically, <i>B.p.</i> treated plants at I4 possessed the highest WUE at stomatal and leaf scales, suggesting that <i>B.p.</i> inoculation could optimize water use and partly alleviate the negative effects of soil water deficit. These findings provide useful information for effective irrigation management and the application of PGPR in agriculture in the future.
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spelling doaj.art-ff0c5592b92a44108c194ec39605dc5f2023-11-16T17:45:45ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472023-02-0112367010.3390/plants12030670The Interactive Effects of Deficit Irrigation and <i>Bacillus pumilus</i> Inoculation on Growth and Physiology of Tomato PlantJie Liu0Jiarui Zhang1Qimiao Shi2Xiangliang Liu3Zhen Yang4Pan Han5Jingjing Li6Zhenhua Wei7Tiantian Hu8Fulai Liu9Key Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas, Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas, Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas, Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas, Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas, Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas, Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas, Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas, Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas, Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, ChinaDepartment of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Højbakkegaard Allé 13, 2630 Taastrup, DenmarkThe effects of inoculating plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and soil water deficits on crop growth and physiology remain largely unknown. Here, the responses of leaf gas exchange, growth, and water use efficiency (WUE) of tomato plants to <i>Bacillus pumilus</i> (<i>B.p.</i>) inoculation under four irrigation strategies (I1-I4) were investigated in a greenhouse. Results showed that soil water deficits, especially at I4 (20%, <i>v</i>/<i>v</i>), significantly decreased leaf stomatal conductance (g<sub>s</sub>), transpiration rate (T<sub>r</sub>), and photosynthetic rate (A<sub>n</sub>), and the decrease of g<sub>s</sub> and T<sub>r</sub> were more pronounced than A<sub>n</sub>. Reduced irrigation regimes significantly lowered dry matter and plant water use both in the non-<i>B.p.</i> control and the <i>B.p.</i> plants, while reduced irrigation significantly increased plant WUE, and <i>B.p.</i> inoculation had little effect on this parameter. Synergistic effects of PGPR and deficit irrigation on leaf gas exchange, leaf abscisic acid content, and stomatal density were found in this study, and specifically, <i>B.p.</i> treated plants at I4 possessed the highest WUE at stomatal and leaf scales, suggesting that <i>B.p.</i> inoculation could optimize water use and partly alleviate the negative effects of soil water deficit. These findings provide useful information for effective irrigation management and the application of PGPR in agriculture in the future.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/3/670water use efficiencyPGPRleaf gas exchangenutrition uptake
spellingShingle Jie Liu
Jiarui Zhang
Qimiao Shi
Xiangliang Liu
Zhen Yang
Pan Han
Jingjing Li
Zhenhua Wei
Tiantian Hu
Fulai Liu
The Interactive Effects of Deficit Irrigation and <i>Bacillus pumilus</i> Inoculation on Growth and Physiology of Tomato Plant
Plants
water use efficiency
PGPR
leaf gas exchange
nutrition uptake
title The Interactive Effects of Deficit Irrigation and <i>Bacillus pumilus</i> Inoculation on Growth and Physiology of Tomato Plant
title_full The Interactive Effects of Deficit Irrigation and <i>Bacillus pumilus</i> Inoculation on Growth and Physiology of Tomato Plant
title_fullStr The Interactive Effects of Deficit Irrigation and <i>Bacillus pumilus</i> Inoculation on Growth and Physiology of Tomato Plant
title_full_unstemmed The Interactive Effects of Deficit Irrigation and <i>Bacillus pumilus</i> Inoculation on Growth and Physiology of Tomato Plant
title_short The Interactive Effects of Deficit Irrigation and <i>Bacillus pumilus</i> Inoculation on Growth and Physiology of Tomato Plant
title_sort interactive effects of deficit irrigation and i bacillus pumilus i inoculation on growth and physiology of tomato plant
topic water use efficiency
PGPR
leaf gas exchange
nutrition uptake
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/3/670
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