Protective effect of Pseudomonas spp. isolates and zinc on seed germination and β-amylase activity in wheat cultivars under cadmium stress

• Published in: Acta physiologiae plantarum Vol. 42; no. 4
• Main Authors: Safari, Marzieh, Kari Dolatabad, Hossein, Ndu, Udonna, Rivera, Nelson A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.04.2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Amylases; Bacteria; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Bread; Cadmium; Cultivars; Enzymatic activity; Enzyme activity; Germination; Inoculation; Life Sciences; Nutrition; Original Article; Plant Anatomy/Development; Plant Biochemistry; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant growth; Plant nutrition; Plant Pathology; Plant Physiology; Pseudomonas; Pseudomonas fluorescens; Pseudomonas putida; Seed germination; Seedlings; Seeds; Stress; Wheat; Zinc; β-Amylase; Germination indices; Cadmium stress; Wheat; Zinc; β-Amylase activity
• ISSN: 0137-5881; 1861-1664
• DOI: 10.1007/s11738-020-03038-8

Plant–bacteria interactions and plant nutrition have been exploited to abate the harmful effects of cadmium (Cd) on the germination of wheat cultivars. This study investigated the effects of Pseudomonas species and zinc (Zn) on the germination of wheat cultivars Triticum aestivum (bread wheat) and Triticum turgidum (durum wheat) under Cd stress. The application of bacteria ( Pseudomonas putida inoculants, Pseudomonas fluorescens inoculants), Zn in three levels (0, 15 and 30 mg L −1 ), Cd in five levels (0, 5, 15, 25 and 35 mg L −1 ) and appropriate negative controls was evaluated in each wheat cultivar. β-Amylase activity was reduced with increasing Cd concentration. Durum wheat showed higher β-amylase enzyme activity than bread wheat after inoculation with P. fluorescens . Nevertheless, inoculated seeds of both wheat cultivars with P. fluorescens exhibited increased β-amylase activity and consequently increased germination speed. However, bacterial inoculation showed no effect on the increment of plumule and radicle dry weights of seedlings. Overall, the combined application of Pseudomonas species (especially P. fluorescens ) and Zn was able to decrease the deleterious effects of Cd stress on β-amylase activity, and subsequently germination indices of wheat cultivars.