Plant growth promoting properties of Serratia fonticola ART-8 and Pseudomonas putida ART-9 and their effect on the growth of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Two bacterial strains, Serratia fonticola ART-8 and Pseudomonas putida ART-9, were isolated from soil sown with rye in a monoculture. Although the S. fonticola strain produced more chitinase than the P. putida strain, P. putida produced more cellulase, lipase, HCN, and fluorescent siderophores. P. putida also solubilized more phosphate, and was the only strain to produce pyoverdine. Neither bacteria produced indoleacetic acid (IAA), nor did they produce siderophores on the CAS medium. Neither of the strains was highly effective at inhibiting Fusarium culmorum (~5%) or F. oxysporum (~24%). Wheat plants inoculated with these bacterial strains had higher (5.7-10.0%) thousand kernel weight and there appeared to be a positive association between thousand kernel weight and ear length.