Microbial responses to polyethylene glycol and salt stress: insights from selected soil bacteria associated with the Saharan tree Vachellia tortilis subsp. raddiana
摘要
This study examines the responses of bacterial strains from five genera: Kocuria, Micrococcus, Brevibacillus, Pantoea, and Pseudarthrobacter, to polyethylene glycol (PEG; 0%, 10%, 20% and 30%) and sodium chloride (NaCl; 0%, 3%, 6%, 10%) stress. Strains Kocuria sp. LMR959, Micrococcus sp. LMR978, Brevibacillus sp. LMR997, Pantoea sp. LMR1086, Pantoea sp. LMR881, and Pseudarthrobacter sp. LMR1158 were assessed for growth absorbance and auxin production (Salkowski method) under these conditions. Most strains, including LMR959 and LMR978, showed reduced growth with increasing stress, while Pseudarthrobacter sp. LMR1158 maintained stable growth across PEG treatments, indicating osmotic stress tolerance. Auxin production varied; LMR959 produced high auxin levels but was stress-sensitive, whereas LMR1158 sustained both growth and auxin production under stress. Pantoea sp. LMR881 exhibited relatively high growth rates under stress, marking it as a promising candidate for sustainable agriculture. Overall, these findings reveal strain-specific adaptations in growth and auxin production under abiotic stress, provide comparative phenotypic evidence of stress tolerance and IAA production, and identify Pantoea sp. LMR881 and Pseudarthrobacter sp. LMR1158 as promising candidates that warrant further investigation through subsequent mechanistic studies and in-planta validation to assess their potential as bioinoculants.