Water deficit is one of the main factors limiting watermelon productivity by affecting physiological processes and plant growth. Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) have emerged as a sustainable alternative to mitigate the effects of water stress. This study evaluated the growth of watermelon plants inoculated with PGPB under different soil moisture levels (SML). The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with five replications using a split-split-plot arrangement over time in a 4 × 4 × 5 factorial design. The treatments consisted of four soil moisture levels (40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of the soil water-holding capacity), four inoculation treatments (non-inoculated control, Bacillus velezensis NB69, Bacillus subtilis NB P6.2, and co-inoculation), and five evaluation times (19, 31, 45, 59, and 72 days after sowing). Water deficit from the flowering stage onward significantly reduced watermelon plant growth. Inoculation with B. subtilis NB P6.2 mitigated the negative effects of water stress by increasing stem length and diameter, leaf number, and leaf area, regardless of soil moisture level. Co-inoculation improved root development by increasing root length and root volume under soil moisture levels between 66% and 69%, although it did not increase fresh or dry root biomass. These results indicate that specific Bacillus strains are a promising and sustainable strategy to reduce the effects of water deficit on watermelon cultivation, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions.
Mycaella Gonçalves de Araújo, Alessandro Carlos Mesquita, Welson Lima Simões et al.· Scientia Plena· 0 citations
Biostimulants are able to increase tolerance to water and salt stress and help enhance the absorption of nutrients from the soil, in addition to increasing the extension of roots, they are also effective in the synthesis of plant hormones (such auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins) and in the capacity to make insoluble phosphorus in the soil available to plants, minimizing the effects of biotic and abiotic stresses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the phytotechnical and physiological responses of maize subjected to two water regimes and a biostimulant containing mycorrhizae and rhizobacteria of the genus Bacillus spp., through the characterization of the antioxidant response conditioned by this association. The experiment was set up in a 5x2 factorial scheme, with five treatments related to the doses of biostimulant [negative control; 0.250 kg ha-1; 0.500 kg ha-1; 0.750 kg ha-1 and 1 kg ha-1] and two water availability levels (60% and 100% of field capacity), with four replicates, totaling 40 pots. The following growth parameters were analyzed at 15 and 30 days after planting: plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, root length and root volume, as well as the following biochemical parameters: lipid peroxidation, total peroxidase and catalase of leaf and root. The biostimulant promoted an increase in the growth of the aerial part and root system of corn plants, in addition to an adjustment of antioxidant enzymes, indicating that, up to 30 days after planting (DAP), corn plants show better adaptability to the water regime with 60% of field capacity.
Ana Thaila Rodrigues Felix, Alessandro Carlos Mesquita, Filipe de Amorim Fonseca Moura et al.· Scientia Plena· 0 citations
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