Isolation and characterization of culturable endophytic bacterial community of stripe rust-resistant and stripe rust-susceptible Pakistani wheat cultivars.

In this study, endophytic bacteria isolated from root, stem, and leaf tissues of stripe rust-susceptible (Inqilab 91, Galaxy 2013, and 15BT023) and stripe rust-resistant (NARC 2011, Ujala 2015, TW1410) cultivars were identified and characterized. Abundance of endophytes was found in roots as compared with stems and leaves. Resistant and susceptible cultivars significantly differed in abundance of endophytic bacteria. Restriction analysis of 16S rRNA genes amplified from 100 bacterial isolates produced 17 unique patterns. Representatives of each of the 17 unique patterns were sequenced and identified. Among the sequenced bacteria, 8 belonged to Firmicutes, 7 were Proteobacteria, and 2 were Actinobacteria. Most of the isolates have plant growth-promoting properties and a few have the potential of producing hydrolytic enzymes. Two isolates showed significant inhibition of rust spore germination. These endophytic bacteria not only can be helpful in growth-promoting activities but also can assist in biocontrol of stripe rust disease.