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Systemic Induction of Secondary Metabolite Biosynthesis in Medicinal Aromatic Plants Mediated by Rhizobacteria

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Plant-Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) and Medicinal Plants

Part of the book series: Soil Biology ((SOILBIOL,volume 42))

Abstract

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are increasingly accepted and important in agricultural production worldwide. There is rising demand for food produced without synthetic chemical products, for sustainable agricultural methods, and for a holistic vision of development associated with environmental protection. In this study, we found that the effects of PGPR inoculation and volatile organic compound (VOC) emission on various aromatic plant species (Origanum majorana [sweet marjoram], Origanum x majoricum [Italian oregano], Ocimum basilicum [sweet basil], Tagetes minuta [wild marigold], Mentha x piperita [peppermint]) varied depending on the inoculated strain (Pseudomonas fluorescens WCS417r, Azospirillum brasilense Sp7, Bacillus subtilis GB03, or their combination). PGPR-inoculated plant species display host response specificity. The responses we observed were diverse. In most cases, the growth parameters evaluated (leaf number, shoot fresh weight, root dry weight) were significantly increased by P. fluorescens inoculation. Essential oil (EO) yield was increased to varying degrees in O. majorana, O. x majoricum, and T. minuta inoculated with P. fluorescens. Monoterpene accumulation was increased ~2-fold in most cases and 24-fold in O. majorana.

The effects of VOCs emitted by P. fluorescens evaluated in M. piperita showed the same tendency that of direct inoculation. In contrast, inoculation with B. subtilis showed different effects upon the affected plant: O. majorana and O. majoricum did not show any change in EO yield in contrast with O. basilicum. The same result was observed with the exposition to B. subtilis VOCs in O. basilicum but in M. piperita did not affect the total monoterpene accumulation. The total EO yield was increased by direct root inoculation with A. brasilense in O. x majoricum but not in T. minuta. Our findings indicate that inoculation with certain PGPR causes systemic induction of monoterpene pathways in various aromatic plants species, suggesting that PGPR inoculation can significantly increase productivity and reduce the amount of fertilizer required for economically viable aromatic crop production.

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Abbreviations

EOs:

Essential oils

PGPR:

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria

VOCs:

Volatile organic compounds

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas. MS and LC have fellowships from Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas of the República Argentina (CONICET). EB and WG are Career Member of CONICET. The authors are grateful to Dr. S. Anderson for English editing of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biología Molecular. Laboratorio 10, Universidad, Nacional de Río Cuarto, Ruta Nac. 36- Km. 601, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina

    Maricel Valeria Santoro, Lorena Cappellari, Walter Giordano & Erika Banchio

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  1. Maricel Valeria Santoro
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  2. Lorena Cappellari
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  3. Walter Giordano
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  4. Erika Banchio
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Correspondence to Erika Banchio .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biology and Soil Science, National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

    Dilfuza Egamberdieva

  2. Amity Institute of Microbial Technology (AIMT), Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Smriti Shrivastava

  3. Amity Institute of Microbial Technology (AIMT), Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Ajit Varma

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Santoro, M.V., Cappellari, L., Giordano, W., Banchio, E. (2015). Systemic Induction of Secondary Metabolite Biosynthesis in Medicinal Aromatic Plants Mediated by Rhizobacteria. In: Egamberdieva, D., Shrivastava, S., Varma, A. (eds) Plant-Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) and Medicinal Plants. Soil Biology, vol 42. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13401-7_13

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