Rhizobium and Phyllobacterium bacterial inoculants increase bioactive compounds and quality of strawberries cultivated in field conditions.

Strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) are widely demanded by the consumers because they contain several bioactive compounds, mainly vitamin C and anthocyanins, which may be increased by biofertilization with some plant growth promoting bacteria. In this work we have analysed two bacterial strains, PEPV15 and PEPV16, from genera Phyllobacterium and Rhizobium, respectively, which under microcosms conditions were able to promote the strawberry growth, increasing the content of some bioactive compounds, such as vitamin C or organic acids. Here we have analysed the effect on bioactive compounds in strawberries from plants biofertilized with the strains PEPV15 and PEPV16 in field conditions. Under these conditions, the anthocyanin content was increased when plants were biofertilized with the strain PEPV15 and the pelargonidin-3-O-rutinoside content significantly increased. Besides, citric acid, vitamin C and epicatechin contents were significantly higher when either of the two strains was used as biofertilizer. Our results showed that the inoculation with Phyllobacterium and Rhizobium strains is a good agronomical practice, which improve the content of several bioactive compounds of strawberries increasing the beneficial effects on human health.