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Open Access | Published on February 12, 2024

Optimizing Drought Resilience in Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) Through Synergistic Actions of Drought-Tolerant Rhizobacterial Strains and Brassinosteroids Hormone Application: A Jar Trial Study

Authors
Corresponding: Azhar Hussain (azharhaseen@gmail.com); Rashid Iqbal (rashid.iqbal@iub.edu.pk)
Co-authors: Mahmood K.
Hussain A.
Ahmad M.
Dar A.
Akhtar M.F.Z.
Iqbal R.
Alsakkaf W.
Alkahtani J.
AbdelGawwad M.R.
Abstract

The study addresses the critical issue of water scarcity in agriculture, which causes significant losses by disrupting plant-water connections and increasing oxidative damage to biological components. In this study, we evaluated the synergistic potential of pre-isolated and identified exopolysaccharide-producing strains (ZE15 and ZE11) in combination with the drought-alleviating hormone Brassinosteroids (BR) to boost okra development under PEG-6000-induced drought stress. The experiment was carried out in a controlled environment at the Soil Microbiology and Biotechnology Laboratory. It used a completely randomized design with factorial arrangements and three replications. Individual rhizobacterial strains were evaluated and also used in a consortium (ZE15+ZE11) at two different Brassinosteroids (BR) concentrations (10-4 M and 10-8 M). The results showed that the consortium of (ZE15+ZE11) with foliar spray of BR (10-8 M) greatly increased okra production. Under both control and drought stress conditions, shoot length (37 and 34%), root length (41 and 40%), root surface area (32, 34%), and root volume (35 and 33%) improved significantly compared to the control group. Furthermore, this treatment demonstrated the most promising results in alleviating drought-induced oxidative damage by improving antioxidant defense mechanisms. Key enzyme activities, such as MDA (30 and 31%), GR (32 and 30%), SOD (36 and 37%), and CAT (31 and 34%), rose significantly under both control and drought stress conditions when compared to the control. To summarize, the use of drought-tolerant bacteria in concert with plant growth hormone provides a synergistic approach to mitigating the negative impacts of drought, resulting in considerable gains in okra growth and antioxidant defenses. This technique shows promise as a way to increase agricultural productivity in arid and semi-arid areas.

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Keywords
Drought stress, Rhizobacterial strains, Brassinosteroids, Okra, Plant-microbe interaction