Development of a Promising Saline Tolerant Plant Growth Promoting Microbial Consortium from Acid-Saline Pokkali Soils of Kerala, India

SREELATHA A.K.; SURENDRA  GOPAL; SREEJA S.J.; DEEPA THOMAS; VEENA  VIGHNESWARAN

doi:10.54894/ISCAR.43.1.2025.153428

Authors

SREELATHA A.K. Rice Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University, Vyttila P.O, Kochi - 682 019, Kerala, India
SURENDRA GOPAL College of Agriculture, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara P. O., Thrissur - 680 656, Kerala, India
SREEJA S.J. Rice Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University, Vyttila P.O, Kochi - 682 019, Kerala, India
DEEPA THOMAS Rice Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University, Vyttila P.O, Kochi - 682 019, Kerala, India
VEENA VIGHNESWARAN Rice Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University, Vyttila P.O, Kochi - 682 019, Kerala, India

https://doi.org/10.54894/ISCAR.43.1.2025.153428

Keywords:

Pokkali, Rhizobacteria, Acid saline, Saline tolerant

Abstract

Pokkali land represents the lowlands, often below sea level, in the coastal regions of Ernakulam, Thrissur and Alappuzha Districts of Kerala in South India, where rotational rice-prawn farming is practised organically. The study aimed to isolate and screen salt-tolerant beneficial microbes to develop a microbial consortium with enhanced salt tolerance and plant growth promotion. Ten Pokkali soil samples were collected from Ernakulam District, Kerala, India and enumerated using serial dilution. The microbes
were screened for salinity tolerance at electric conductivity (EC) of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 dS m^-1. The highest population of Nitrogen fixers, Phosphate solubilisers, Zinc solubilisers and fluorescent Pseudomonas were 7.3×10⁵, 12×10⁵, 17×10⁵ and 1×10⁴ CFU g^-1, respectively. Potassium solubilisers, Azotobacter and Azospirillium, were absent in the soil. Altogether, 29 predominant isolates were obtained, and among these isolates, 17 belonged to Zinc solubilisers, six were Phosphate solubilisers, and five were Nitrogen fixers. The remaining isolate was fluorescent Pseudomonas. Novel isolates were evaluated for their plant growth-promoting activities, such as the production of indole acetic acid (IAA), ammonia, hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and siderophore. Among these 29 isolates, 16 isolates showed weakly positive results in siderophore production and 11 isolates appeared strong (red +++) in ammonia production. None indicated positive results in IAA and HCN production. The in vitro compatibility among the isolates was tested
using standard protocols, and all the isolates were compatible. Ten promising isolates were selected from 29 predominant isolates to develop three talc-based microbial consortia by mixing culture broth media with talc in a 1:3 ratio. The selected isolates included three nitrogen-fixing bacteria (S₃B₂N, S₅B₃N, and S₅B₂N), three phosphate solubilizers (S₆B₂P, S₅B₂P, and S₉B₁P), one fluorescent Pseudomonas (S₈PF), and three zinc solubilizers (S₁₀F₁Zn, S₇F₁Zn, and S₁₀F₂Zn). The best four promising isolates (S₉B₁P, S₅B₃N, S₇F₁Zn, and S₈PF) in the study were selected for molecular characterization and identification.

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Author Biography

SREEJA S.J., Rice Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University, Vyttila P.O, Kochi - 682 019, Kerala, India

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