Plant growth promoting bacteria improve growth and phytostabilization potential of Zea mays under chromium and drought stress by altering photosynthetic and antioxidant responses

Abstract

Drought in heavy metal polluted arid and semiarid regions severely inhibits the plant growth and phytoremediation potential by affecting photosynthesis, antioxidant defense mechanism, and other biochemical processes. In the present study, we explored the role of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) on Zea mays growth and phytoremediation efficiency in Chromium (Cr) contaminated soils under drought stress by assessing plant stress tolerance, photosynthetic gas exchange activities, chlorophyll fluorescence, and Cr accumulation. Two efficient Cr and drought resistant PGPB with the potential to reduce Cr(VI) to Cr(III) and produce plant growth-promoting metabolites even under Cr, drought, or Cr+drought stress conditions were isolated and identified as Providencia sp. (TCR05) and Proteus mirabilis (TCR20). In pot experiments, the inoculation of TCR05 and TCR20 increased the plant growth, pigments, protein, phenolics, and relative water content and decreased the lipid peroxidation, proline, and superoxide dismutase activity under Cr, drought, or Cr+drought conditions. Irrespective of stress treatment, TCR05 and TCR20 also improved plant photosynthetic efficiency by increasing the CO2 assimilation rate, stomatal conductance to water vapor, transpiration rate, maximum quantum efficiency of PSII, actual quantum efficiency of PSII, electron transport rate, photochemical quenching, reducing the internal CO2 concentration and non-photochemical quenching. Besides, the PGPB decreased the translocation of Cr through immobilization of Cr in root. These results denoted that strains TCR05 and TCR20 could be a capable bio-inoculant for improving plant growth and phytostabilization practices in Cr contaminated sites even under water-limited conditions. © 2021 The Authors