Assessing the effects of heavy metals in ACC deaminase and IAA production on plant growth-promoting bacteria

This study poses a methodology in order to simultaneously quantify ACC deaminase and IAA levels in the same culture medium. Ten bacterial strains isolated from plant rhizosphere naturally settled in mining residues were chosen. These bacterial strains were characterized as PGPB, and all of them showed at least three characteristics (indole-3 acetic acid and siderophore production, ACC deaminase enzyme activity, and inorganic phosphate solubilization). Taxonomic identification showed that the strains belong to Enterobacter, Serratia, Klebsiella, and Escherichia genera. Similarly, both the ACC deaminase enzyme activity and the IAA synthesis in the presence of Cu, As, Pb, Ni, Cd, and Mn were measured. The results showed that both the ACC deaminase enzyme activity and the IAA synthesis were higher with the Pb, As, and Cu treatments than with the Escherichia N16, Enterobacter K131, Enterobacter N9, and Serratia K120 control treatments. On the other hand, Ni, Cd, and Mn negatively affected both the ACC deaminase enzyme activity and the IAA production on every bacterium except on the Klebsiella Mc173 strain. Serratia K120 bacterium got a positive correlation between ACC deaminase and IAA in the presence of every heavy metal, and it also promoted Helianthus annuus plant growth, showing a potential use in phytoremediation systems.