Screening of tropically derived, multi-trait plant growth- promoting rhizobacteria and evaluation of corn and soybean colonization ability

The present study assessed the plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits and diversity of culturable rhizobacteria associated with guarana (Paullinia cupana), a typical tropical plant. Ninety-six bacteria were isolated, subjected to biochemical tests, and identified by partial or total 16S rDNA sequencing. Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were the dominant rhizospheric phyla found, and Burkholderia and Bacillus were the most abundant genera. Thirteen strains exhibited the four PGP traits evaluated, and most of them belonged to the genus Burkholderia. Two multi-trait PGP strains, RZ2MS9 (Bacillus sp.) and RZ2MS16 (Burkholderia ambifaria), expressively promoted corn and soybean growth under greenhouse conditions. Compared to the non-inoculated control, increases in corn root dry weight of 247.8 and 136.9% were obtained with RZ2MS9 and RZ2MS16 inoculation, respectively, at 60 days after seeding. The dry weights of corn and soybean shoots were significantly higher than those of non-inoculated plants, showing increases of more than 47% for both strains and crops. However, soybean root dry weight did not increased after bacterial inoculation with either strain. The colonization behavior of RZ2MS16 was assessed using GFP-labeling combined with fluorescence microscopy and a cultivation-based approach for quantification. RZ2MS16:gfp was able to colonize the roots and shoots of corn and soybean, revealing an endophytic behavior.