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ARTICLE

PGPR inoculation improves growth, nutrient uptake and physiological parameters of Capsicum chinense plants

Castillo-Aguilar C de la C¹, JJ Zúñiga-Aguilar², AA Guzmán-Antonio², R Garruña³

1 Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus Campeche. Carretera Federal Haltunchén-Edzná Km 17.5, C.P. 24450, Sihochac, Champotón, Campeche, México.
2 Unidad de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular de Plantas, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C. Calle 43 No. 130, colonia Chuburná de Hidalgo, Mérida C.P. 97200, Yucatán, México.
3 Catedrático CONACYT-Instituto Tecnológico de Conkal. Avenida Tecnológico s/n, Conkal, C.P. 97345, Yucatán, México. renegh10@hotmail.com

Address correspondence to: Ph.D. René Garruña, Tel: 52 (999) 912-41-30 ext. 126; e-mail: ;

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2017, 86(all), 199-204. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2017.86.199

Abstract

The Habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense) is intensively cultivated in the Yucatan peninsula, México. Because of adverse environmental conditions, it required seeding in germination trays, from which six-week-old seedlings were transplanted to the soil. Adequate nursing and fertilization programmes were made to improve health and vigour before seedlings transplanting. During seed germination, we investigated the effects of inoculation with four plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on growth, nutrient uptake and gas exchange of 8-week-old Capsicum chinense plants. Inoculation was made with Pseudomonas sp. -P61-, Pseudomonas sp. -A46-, Bacillus pumillus -R44-, and Paenibacillus polymyxa-BSP1.1-. The BSP1.1 strain produced the highest increase in plant height (22.52 cm), leaf area (99 cm² ), fresh weight of roots (0.337g) and shoots (2.83 g), and dry weights of roots (0.05 g) and shoots (0.43 g). Nitrogen uptake was similar (P>0.05) among treatments. However, seedlings inoculated with BSP1.1 had a higher accumu-lation than controls when they were exposed to P and K (50 and 40%, respectively). Likewise, seedlings inoculated with the BSP1.1 strain improved both photosynthesis (2 µmol/m²/s) and water use efficiency (7.3 µmol CO₂/mmol H₂O), and decreased transpiration rate (0.27 mmol/m²/s). Thus, the inoculation with the BSP1.1 strain was the best option to enhance growth and vigour of Capsicum chinense plants.

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