Isolation and Identification of a Phosphate-Solubilizing Pantoea dispersa with a Saline-Alkali Tolerance and Analysis of Its Growth-Promoting Effects on Silage Maize Under Saline-Alkali Field Conditions.

Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) are microorganisms that can dissolve insoluble phosphorus (P) to accessible forms. This study aimed to screen saline-alkali-tolerant PSB and analyze its growth promoting properties, and evaluate its effects on the growth, quality, soil nutrient balance, and enzyme activities of silage maize in the field. We isolated six phosphate-solubilizing strains from rhizosphere soil of silage maize planted in saline-alkali land, and FC-1 with the best P-solubilizing effect was used for further study. The morphological, physiological and biochemical analysis, and 16S rDNA and housekeeping gene atpD sequencing were performed for identification. FC-1 was identified as Pantoea dispersa and had high P solubility. The phosphate solubility of FC-1 using four P sources ranged from 160.79 to 270.22 mg l. FC-1 produced indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and decreased the pH of the growth media by secreting organic acids, including citric acid, malic acid, succinic acid, and acetic acid. The results of a field experiment indicated that FC-1 treatment increased the height, stem diameter, fresh weight, dry weight, starch content, crude protein content, and total P content of silage maize by 9.8, 9.2, 12.6, 11.7, 12.6, 18.3, and 17.4%, respectively. The nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and organic matter contents in the rhizosphere soil of silage maize increased by 29.8, 17.1, 17.9, and 25.3%, respectively; urease, catalase, sucrase, and alkaline phosphatase levels also increased by 24.7, 26.7, 24.0, and 19.5%, respectively. FC-1 promoted the growth of silage maize by improving nutrient metabolism and enzyme activities in saline-alkali soil and may be an effective alternative to fertilizers.