Plant growth promoting potentials of beneficial endophytic escherichia coli USML2 in association with rice seedlings

• Published in: Tropical Life Sciences Research
• Main Author: Tharek M.; Khairuddin D.; Najimudin N.; Ghazali A.H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia 2021
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85104108181&doi=10.21315%2ftlsr2021.32.1.8&partnerID=40&md5=4b4e3e983e5be5e6e86cd92b86b05dbc

An endophytic Escherichia coli USML2 originally isolated from the inner part of an oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) leaf tissue was inoculated to rice seedlings to investigate its ability in colonising plant inner tissues and promoting growth. Infection of E. coli USML2 was initiated by colonisation on the root surface, invasion of the interior root system followed by endophytic spreading. Inoculation of E. coli USML2 in the rice rhizosphere zone resulted in a significant increase in leaf numbers (33.3%), chlorophyll content (33.3%), shoot height (34.8%) and plant dry weight (90.4%) of 42 days old rice seedlings as compared to the control. These findings also demonstrated the ability of E. coli USML2 to spread endophytically which serves as a beneficial strategy for the bacterium to colonise the host plant and gain protection against adverse soil conditions. The genome of E. coli USML2 had also revealed predicted genes essential for endophytic bacterial colonisation and plant growth promotion which further proven potentials of E. coli USML2 as Plant Growth Promoting Endophyte (PGPE). © Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2021.