Culturable Endophytic Bacteria of Ginger Rhizome and their Remarkable Multi-trait Plant Growth-Promoting Features

Functional contribution of endophytic bacteria towards plant growth is highly impressive due to their species diversity and array of probiotic mechanisms. In the study, 96 endophytic bacteria isolated from rhizome of ginger (Zingiber officinale) were screened for phosphate solubilisation, 1-amino cyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity, nitrogen fixation, ammonia and IAA production. Among these, sixteen endophytes with multiple plant growth-promoting activities were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing and all of them showed growth enhancement in Vigna unguiculata var Lola which make the study remarkably significant. The result was a clear indication of consistent, reliable and broad spectrum plant probiotic features of all the selected isolates. However, strain-specific effects on soil parameters represent the unique and distinguishable role of each of the selected isolates in the chemobiology of ginger rhizome. The study provided deeper insight into microbiomics of ginger rhizome with its agricultural promises.