Differential responses in some quinoa genotypes of a consortium of beneficial endophytic bacteria against bacterial leaf spot disease

Many effective plant-microbe interactions lead to biological changes that can stimulate plant growth and production. This study evaluated the effect of the interaction between quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) and endophytic bacterial strains on differential responses under biotic stress. Four strains of endophytic bacteria were used to inoculate three quinoa genotypes. Endophytic bacteria, isolated from the endosphere of healthy genotypes of quinoa plants, were used to evaluate their biocontrol activity against Pseudomonas syringae on quinoa plants, which causes leaf spot disease, depending on some different parameters. Quinoa genotype plants were treated with four treatments: pathogenic bacteria only (T1), internal bacteria only (T2), pathogenic bacteria + endogenous bacteria (T3), and untreated as the control (T4). The results indicated that there was a significant difference between chlorophyll content index of infected plants without bioagent (untreated) compared to plants bio-inoculated with endophytic bacteria. The highest mean disease incidence was on the plants without bacterial inoculum (90, 80, and 100%) for quinoa genotypes G1, G2, and G3, respectively. The results showed that there were significant differences in the weight of grains/plant, as the value ranged from 8.1 to 13.3 g when treated with pathogens (T1) compared to the treatment with pathogens and endogenous bacteria (T3), which ranged from 11.7 to 18.6 g/plant. Decreases in total aromatic amino acids appeared due to the pathogen infection, by 6.3, 22.8, and 24.1% (compared to the control) in G1, G2, and G3, respectively. On the other hand, genotype G3 showed the highest response in the levels of total aromatic and total neutral amino acids. The endophytic strains promoted quinoa seedling growth mainly by improving nutrient efficiency. This improvement could not be explained by their ability to induce the production of amino acids, showing that complex interactions might be associated with enhancement of quinoa seedling performance by endophytic bacteria. The endophytic bacterial strains were able to reduce the severity of bacterial leaf spot disease by 30, 40, and 50% in quinoa genotypes G1, G2, and G3, respectively, recording significant differences compared to the negative control. The results indicated that, G1 genotype was superior in different performance indicators (pathogen tolerance index, yield injury %, superiority measure and relative performance) for grain weight/plant under pathogen infection condition when treated with endophyte bacteria. Based on this study, these bacterial strains can be used as a biotechnology tool in quinoa seedling production and biocontrol to diminish the severity of bacterial leaf spot disease

Plant beneficial microbiome a boon for improving multiple stress tolerance in plants

Beneficial microbes or their products have been key drivers for improving adaptive and growth features in plants under biotic and abiotic stress conditions. However, the majority of these studies so far have been utilized against individual stressors. In comparison to individual stressors, the combination of many environmental stresses that plants experience has a greater detrimental effect on them and poses a threat to their existence. Therefore, there is a need to explore the beneficial microbiota against combined stressors or multiple stressors, as this will offer new possibilities for improving plant growth and multiple adaptive traits. However, recognition of the multifaceted core beneficial microbiota from plant microbiome under stress combinations will require a thorough understanding of the functional and mechanistic facets of plant microbiome interactions under different environmental conditions in addition to agronomic management practices. Also, the development of tailored beneficial multiple stress tolerant microbiota in sustainable agriculture necessitates new model systems and prioritizes agricultural microbiome research. In this review, we provided an update on the effect of combined stressors on plants and their microbiome structure. Next, we discussed the role of beneficial microbes in plant growth promotion and stress adaptation. We also discussed how plant-beneficial microbes can be utilized for mitigating multiple stresses in plants. Finally, we have highlighted some key points that warrant future investigation for exploring plant microbiome interactions under multiple stressors

Transcriptomic Analysis of Salt-Stress-Responsive Genes in Barley Roots and Leaves

Barley is characterized by a rich genetic diversity, making it an important model for studies of salinity response with great potential for crop improvement. Moreover, salt stress severely affects barley growth and development, leading to substantial yield loss. Leaf and root transcriptomes of a salt-tolerant Tunisian landrace (Boulifa) exposed to 2, 8, and 24 h salt stress were compared with pre-exposure plants to identify candidate genes and pathways underlying barley’s response. Expression of 3585 genes was upregulated and 5586 downregulated in leaves, while expression of 13,200 genes was upregulated and 10,575 downregulated in roots. Regulation of gene expression was severely impacted in roots, highlighting the complexity of salt stress response mechanisms in this tissue. Functional analyses in both tissues indicated that response to salt stress is mainly achieved through sensing and signaling pathways, strong transcriptional reprograming, hormone osmolyte and ion homeostasis stabilization, increased reactive oxygen scavenging, and activation of transport and photosynthesis systems. A number of candidate genes involved in hormone and kinase signaling pathways, as well as several transcription factor families and transporters, were identified. This study provides valuable information on early salt-stress-responsive genes in roots and leaves of barley and identifies several important players in salt tolerance

Chromium Toxicity in Plants: Signaling, Mitigation, and Future Perspectives

Plants are very often confronted by different heavy metal (HM) stressors that adversely impair their growth and productivity. Among HMs, chromium (Cr) is one of the most prevalent toxic trace metals found in agricultural soils because of anthropogenic activities, lack of efficient treatment, and unregulated disposal. It has a huge detrimental impact on the physiological, biochemical, and molecular traits of crops, in addition to being carcinogenic to humans. In soil, Cr exists in different forms, including Cr (III) “trivalent” and Cr (VI) “hexavalent”, but the most pervasive and severely hazardous form to the biota is Cr (VI). Despite extensive research on the effects of Cr stress, the exact molecular mechanisms of Cr sensing, uptake, translocation, phytotoxicity, transcript processing, translation, post-translational protein modifications, as well as plant defensive responses are still largely unknown. Even though plants lack a Cr transporter system, it is efficiently accumulated and transported by other essential ion transporters, hence posing a serious challenge to the development of Cr-tolerant cultivars. In this review, we discuss Cr toxicity in plants, signaling perception, and transduction. Further, we highlight various mitigation processes for Cr toxicity in plants, such as microbial, chemical, and nano-based priming. We also discuss the biotechnological advancements in mitigating Cr toxicity in plants using plant and microbiome engineering approaches. Additionally, we also highlight the role of molecular breeding in mitigating Cr toxicity in sustainable agriculture. Finally, some conclusions are drawn along with potential directions for future research in order to better comprehend Cr signaling pathways and its mitigation in sustainable agriculture