Integrated Proteomic Metabolomic and Interactomic Study of Wheat Inoculated with Selected Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi A Greenhouse and Field study

Abstract

newlineThe extensive application of harmful chemical fertilizers on low-yielding field sites is a newlinesevere concern for cereal crops, especially wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.)] in Asian newlinecontinent. Understanding the role of microbial consortia for wheat biofortification, newlinegrowth, yield, and soil fertility could be instrumental for implementing siteand#8208;specific newlinesustainable agricultural- management practices, leading to more significant attainable newlinegains in the agricultural field. To explore these microbial consortia s feasibility, we have newlineconducted an agricultural field trial where a different combination of Plat Growth newlinePromoting Bacteria (PGPB) and Arbuscular Mycorrhizae Fungi (AMF) treatments, newlineranging from single inoculant to consortia form were applied. The microbial consortia newlineused were Bacillus sp. and AMF as they revealed strong synergistic relationships and newlinesignificant improvement of growth, yield, and nutrition content of wheat under field newlineconditions. The consortia based on native (CP4) and non-native (AHP3) PGPB newline(Bacillus sp.) and AMF gave the best results with a significant increase in biomass, newlinemacronutrient (N and P), and micronutrient (Fe and Zn) content in wheat grains and newlineimprovement in yield-related parameters relative to the untreated control under newlinev newlinegreenhouse and two-year field trial. Dual treatment of PGPB (CP4+AHP3) combined newlinewith AMF significantly increased antioxidant enzymes and compounds and decreased newlinethe level of an oxidation marker. We studied the spatial colonization of AMF using newlinemicroscopic root colonization assay, which indicated that both the isolates CP4 and newlineAHP3 were able to enhance the AMF colonization in root tissue. Further, soil enzymes newlineactivities increased significantly with the PGPB and AMF combinations and give best newlineresults. Another aim was to get insights into metabolite and protein dynamics in plants newlinetreated with PGPB and AMF. Metabolite profiling performed using Gas newlineChromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) showed significant upregulation of newlinespecific organ