MITIGATION OF ABIOTIC STRESS IN WATER DEVOURABLE PLANTS USING ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI AND PLANT GROWTH PROMOTING BACTERIA
Venkadeswaran K.*, Saktheeswari T. and Surekha R.
ABSTRACT
The Amalgamation of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) provides so many benefits to plants under stress conditions (salinity and heavy metals). This combination leads to an increase in the soil structure, aggregation, and yield productivity. The effect of Aspergillus flavus (AMF) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (PGPB) in Basil plant is to ameliorate their growth, phosphorous content and stress tolerance. As an added value, the presence of mycorrhizal fungus stimulated in all growth parameters and also comparing with both treated and non-mycorrhizal treated plants. In addition, the abiotic stress also declines the relative water content (RWC) so when treated with A. flavus mitigates the deleterious effects on plants under stress conditions. A combination of AMF and PGPB enhanced morphological parameters like plant biomass, photosynthetic pigment, relative water content (RWC) and levels of hydrogen peroxide. Finally, these results suggested that amalgamation of AMF and PGPB increased the photosynthetic rate under stress conditions.
Keywords: Basil, Aspergillus flavus, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Plant parameters, Mitigation of stress.
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