Isolation of Bacteria with Potential Plant-Promoting Traits and Optimization of Their Growth Conditions

This research aimed at investigating the isolation and identification of bacterial strains with biological nitrogen-fixing capability and phosphate, potassium, and zinc solubilization activities from a durum wheat field under two different tillage practices including 10 years of conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT) practices. Attempts were also extended to estimate their relative abundances in the soil as well as to develop accurate mathematical models in determining the effect of different temperatures, NaCl concentrations and pH on the growth, and activity of selected isolates. Twelve effective bacterial strains, including Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and Comamonas genera, were identified with a great potential to solubilize the insoluble forms of phosphate (from 11.1 to 115.5 mg l^-1 at pH 8), potassium (from 32.2 to 35.6 mg l^-1 at pH 7), and zinc (from 1.11 to 389.90 mg l^-1 at pH 9) as well as to fix N₂ gas (from 19.9 to 25.2 mg l^-1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of the ability of Comamonas testosteroni and Acinetobacter pittii to fix nitrogen and to solubilize insoluble potassium compound, respectively. Three families, Moraxellaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, and Comamonadaceae, showed a higher percentage of abundance in the NT samples as compared to the CT, but only significant difference was observed in the relative abundance of Pseudomonadaceae (P < 0.01). These strains could be definitively recommended as inoculants to promote plant growth in the wide ranges of pH, salinity levels (with maximum growth and complete inhibition of growth from 0.67-0.92% to 3.5-9.3% NaCl, respectively), and temperatures (2.1-45.1 °C).