Exploration of silicate solubilizing bacteria from diverse habitat for sustainable agriculture

Abstract

In the present study Exploration of silicate solubilizing bacteria from diverse habitats for sustainable agriculturequot was performed. For a better understanding of the Si solubilizing, the study exploited the isolation of silicate solubilizing bacteria (SSB) from rhizospheric soil. A total of 109 bacterial isolates were found to have silicate solubilizing activity. Among these bacterium those forms the intermediate zone of silicon solubilization was selected for further analysis including identification, characterization, and genome sequencing. Whole genome sequencing was performed for most promising SSB Enterobacter sp. LR6. The genome sequencing enabled us to identify stress tolerance and colonization-related genes enabling its colonization in rhizospheres despite harsh conditions. Plant growth-promoting activity of LR6 produced higher biomass, healthy root, and shoot in rice and soybean plants. The SEM coupled with EDX showed a high amount of silicon deposition at the surface of rice leaf and soybean leaf trichomes when the plants were supplemented with Si+LR6 (SSB). The genome sequencing of LR6 also enabled us to identify a metalloid transporter aquaporin gene and a silicase-producing gene that predicted to catalyzes SiO2 hydration. The study will help in a better understanding of molecular mechanism involved in the silicate solubilization through microbial activity, silicate weathering, silicon biogeochemical cycle and more importantly the information presented here will be helpful to explore SSB for the sustainable agriculture. newline