Ahmad Maqshoof, Naseer Iqra, Nazli Farheen, Dar Abubakar, Sarfraz Rubab, Zulfiqar Usman, El-Beltagi Hossam S, Saleh Muneera A, Rebouh Nazih Y, Rasulov Xasanboy, Prasad Pv Vara
Department of Soil Science, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
Institute of Agro-Industry and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
Front Microbiol. 2025 Sep 3;16:1626216. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1626216. eCollection 2025.
Food and nutritional security remain a significant challenge among the food-insecure people around the world, facing a lack of nutritious food rather than food availability alone. Micronutrient deficiencies in staple grains present a serious public health issue, especially impacting millions of women and children in developing nations. Staple cereals contain low concentrations of micronutrients, especially zinc (Zn).
The present study explored the potential of zinc-solubilizing strains to improve rice ( L.) growth, antioxidant activity, yield, and quality in a completely randomized design (CRD) with four replications. For this purpose, four pre-isolated, characterized and identified strains (AN24, AN30, AN31, and AN35) were evaluated separately, as well as in co-inoculation on the growth promotion of rice cultivar PK 386.
The results showed that the co-inoculation of strains improved the growth and yield of rice more effectively than individual bacterial strains. Furthermore, co-inoculation was also more efficient in improving the soil nutrient status and biology (microbial populations) on which rice plants were grown in the pot experiment. In addition to improvement in plant growth parameters, the co-inoculation of strains improved the N, P, K, Fe, and Zn up to 26, 30, 29, 19, and 27%, respectively, in rice grains as compared to control, along with improvement in macro and micronutrients in rice straw and roots. Co-inoculation also improved the crude protein in rice grains by 27% compared to the un-inoculated control.
These results suggest that co-inoculated strains AN24 and B. AN31offer a promising, eco-friendly alternative to synthetic fertilizers and can play a vital role in addressing micronutrient deficiencies in cereals.
Further molecular characterization of Zn solubilizing genes and field-scale evaluations are recommended to validate their efficacy under diverse agroecological conditions. The combination could be further evaluated as a valuable tool for developing biofertilizers to improve rice productivity and quality in nutrient-deficient soils.
粮食和营养安全仍然是全球粮食不安全人群面临的重大挑战，他们面临的是缺乏营养丰富的食物，而不仅仅是食物供应问题。主粮中的微量营养素缺乏是一个严重的公共卫生问题，尤其影响到发展中国家数以百万计的妇女和儿童。主粮谷物中微量营养素的浓度较低，尤其是锌（Zn）。
本研究采用完全随机设计（CRD），重复四次，探讨了溶锌菌株对水稻生长、抗氧化活性、产量和品质的影响。为此，分别对四个预先分离、表征和鉴定的菌株（AN24、AN30、AN31和AN35）进行了评估，并对它们共同接种对水稻品种PK 386生长促进作用进行了评估。
结果表明，与单个菌株相比，菌株共同接种能更有效地促进水稻生长和提高产量。此外，在盆栽试验中，共同接种在改善水稻生长土壤的养分状况和生物学特性（微生物种群）方面也更有效。除了改善植物生长参数外，与对照相比，菌株共同接种使水稻籽粒中的氮、磷、钾、铁和锌含量分别提高了26%、30%、29%、19%和27%，同时也提高了稻草和根系中的大量和微量营养素含量。与未接种对照相比，共同接种还使水稻籽粒中的粗蛋白含量提高了27%。
这些结果表明，共同接种的菌株AN24和B. AN31为合成肥料提供了一种有前景的、生态友好的替代品，并且在解决谷物微量营养素缺乏问题方面可以发挥重要作用。
建议进一步对溶锌基因进行分子表征，并进行田间规模评估，以验证它们在不同农业生态条件下的功效。这种组合可以进一步评估为一种有价值的工具，用于开发生物肥料，以提高缺营养土壤中水稻的生产力和品质。
