Browsing by Author "Babita Kumari"

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Developing eco-friendly endophytic bioinoculants for enhancing productivity and soil fertility in wheat
(John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2023) Gowardhan Kumar Chouhan; Arpan Mukherjee; Saurabh Singh; Anand Kumar Gaurav; Babita Kumari; Jay Prakash Verma
The main aim of this study was to explore the potential role of wheat endophytic bacteria on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production and soil health management under pot and field trials. Seven plant growth-promoting putative endophytes were isolated from different wheat plant parts (root, shoot, leaf, and seed). We selected two effective bacterial strains, Pseudomonas sp. BHUJPV-WRO5 (from the “Pseudomonas koreensis” subgroup) originating from the root and Staphylococcus sp. BHUJPV-WLE7 isolated from leaf, based on plant growth-promoting traits like indole-3-acetic acid, ammonia, siderophore production, and phosphate solubilization. We conducted pot and field experiments with treatments T1 (uninoculated), T2 (Pseudomonas sp.), and T3 (Staphylococcus sp.). In pots, grain yield was higher with Pseudomonas sp. or S. xylosus than in the control. Similarly, grain yield in the field was increased with Pseudomonas sp. BHUJPV-WRO5 or Staphylococcus sp. BHUJPV-WLE7 compared with control. Pseudomonas sp. BHUJPV-WRO5 also resulted in higher soil electrical conductivity (both pot and field), total organic carbon (in field), soil contents in available N, P, and K (in pot and field), and potential activity in soil of alkaline phosphatase (pot and field), dehydrogenase and β-glucosidase (in pot). The effects of Staphylococcus sp. BHUJPV-WLE7 were smaller, with however, higher soil levels for electrical conductivity (in pot), total organic carbon (in field), available P (in pot and field), and higher potential activity of alkaline phosphatase (in pot) than control. Overall, the putative wheat endophytes effectively enhanced plant growth, crop productivity, and soil quality, and Pseudomonas stain is promising as a bio-inoculant for sustainable wheat production. © 2023 The Authors. Agronomy Journal © 2023 American Society of Agronomy.
Enhancement in Ni–Cd Phytoremediation Efficiency of Helianthus annuus L. from Battery Waste Contaminated Soil by Bacterial Augmentation, Isolated from E-Waste Contaminated Sites
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2023) Kriti; Babita Kumari; Gayatri Singh; Ambedkar Gautam; Geetgovind Sinam; Sunidhi Pal; Anshu; Kumkum Mishra; Shekhar Mallick
The study investigates enhancement of Ni–Cd phytoremediation efficiency of Helianthus annuus grown on Ni–Cd battery’s electrolyte (eW) contaminated soil augmented with two e-waste tolerant and metal solubilizing bacteria. H. annuus was grown outdoor on simulated eW contaminated soil (eW1%, eW2% and eW4%), augmented with Brucella intermedium (E1) and Bacillus velezensis (EW8), separately. The bioavailability of Ni (61–65%) and Cd (30–57%) within the soil was enhanced, with bacterial augmentation. Between both the bacteria, EW8 augmentation resulted higher Ni accumulation (µg g−1) viz. root (236.6), stem (66.5), leaves (18.5), and flower (10.8), respectively in H. annuus and also for Cd, i.e., 389.1, 100.5, 26.5 and 4.9, respectively against eW4%. Although the translocation factor was < 1 however, the bioaccumulation factor enhanced with bacterial augmentations viz. Ni (0.27–0.33) and Cd (0.19–0.34). EW8 enhanced metal bioavailability resulting in higher metal uptake in the plant, in contrast E1 having greater plant growth promotion activities, enhanced the plant growth. The antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, APX, GST, GR, GPX and POD) were higher in plants with EW8 than E1. With rise in eW contamination, translocation of Cd increased over Ni. The improvement in the soil quality indices of the contaminated soil through phytoremediation was greater with bacterial augmentation than without. The rate of uptake of Ni (Vmax) was greatly enhanced by bacterial augmentation, however, it was effective within narrow range of metal concentration (Km), whereas, the maximum rate of Cd uptake was attained for a higher concentration, which was further enhanced by bacterial augmentation. Hence, phytoremediation of eW contaminated soil can improve the soil quality and is enhanced by tolerant bacterial augmentation, which has plant growth promotion activities. HighlightsBacillus velezensis EW8 enhances Ni–Cd bioavailability from eW contaminated soil.Brucella intermedia E1 exhibiting PGPA enhances Helianthus annuus growth.Ni uptake is higher at lower contamination and Cd uptake at higher contamination.The soil quality enhances with phytoremediation and greater with bacterial augmentation. © 2023, University of Tehran.
GABA mediated reduction of arsenite toxicity in rice seedling through modulation of fatty acids, stress responsive amino acids and polyamines biosynthesis
(Academic Press, 2019) Navin Kumar; Ambedkar Gautam; Arvind Kumar Dubey; Ruma Ranjan; Ashutosh Pandey; Babita Kumari; Gayatri Singh; Sachin Mandotra; Puneet Singh Chauhan; Saripella Srikrishna; Venkatesh Dutta; Shekhar Mallick
γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a free amino acid, which helps to counteract biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. In the present study, two concentrations of GABA, i.e., 0.5 mM and 1 mM were applied to examine the tolerance of rice seedlings against As(III) (25 µM) toxicity, through the modulations of fatty acids (FAs), stress responsive amino acids (AAs) and polyamines (PAs) biosynthesis. Exogenous GABA (0.5 mM) application significantly reduced the H 2 O 2 and TBARS levels and recovered the growth parameters against As(III) stressed rice seedlings. Simultaneously, co-application of GABA (0.5 and 1 mM) and As(III), consistently enhanced the level of unsaturated fatty acids (USFA) (cis-10-pentadecanoic acid, oleic acid, α-linolenic acid and γ-linolenic acid), which was higher than saturated fatty acid (SFA). Among the USFAs, level of linolenic acid was found to be always higher with GABA application. Similarly, elevated level of AAs (proline, methionine, glutamic acid and cysteine) was also observed with the application of GABA (0.5 and 1 mM) in As(III) stressed seedlings. GABA also enhanced the expression of genes involved in the polyamine synthesis pathway namely arginine decarboxylase (AD), spermine (SPM) and spermidine (SPD) synthase against As(III) treatments, which was higher in roots than in shoots, resulting in enhanced root PAs level. Contrarily, the expression of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (S-AMD) was significantly higher in shoots. Among all the PAs, level of putrescine (PUT) was found to be highest with GABA application. Overall, the study demonstrates that GABA (0.5 mM) at lower concentration plays a vital role in As(III) tolerance by enhancing the biosynthesis of USFA, AA and PA, reducing the level of TBARS and H 2 O 2 in rice seedlings. © 2019 Elsevier Inc.
Nickel and cadmium phytoextraction efficiencies of vetiver and lemongrass grown on Ni–Cd battery waste contaminated soil: A comparative study of linear and nonlinear models
(Academic Press, 2021) Kriti; Nikita Basant; Jogendra Singh; Babita Kumari; Geetgovind Sinam; Ambedkar Gautam; Gayatri Singh; Swapnil; Kumkum Mishra; Shekhar Mallick
A comparative assessment of the phytoremediation efficiency of two tolerant grass species viz. vetiver and lemongrass were performed in pots against simulated Ni–Cd battery electrolyte waste (EW) contaminated soil (EW1%, EW2% and EW4% w/w). Ni (μg g−1) accumulation was higher in shoots (36.8) and roots (252.9) of vetiver than in lemongrass (12.5 and 79.7, respectively). While the same trend was true for Cd (μg g−1) accumulation in vetiver and lemon grass roots (232.2 and 147.2, respectively), however, the accumulation in vetiver shoot (43.4) was less than in lemongrass (99.9). The bioaccumulation factor of metals in both grasses increased with EW contamination. Vetiver was tolerant towards EW toxicity than lemongrass, as it exhibited lesser decline in morphological parameters, lesser rise in TBARS against the doses of EW. The activities of SOD, APX, POD enzymes were higher in vetiver whereas, only GR in lemongrass. Multiple linear regression model show, pH had strong and positive influence over the Ni and Cd uptake by the plants whereas, phosphate, OM and bioavailable metals influenced negatively. The higher R2 (>0.9) and Chi-square values ≤ 1 in sigmoid non-linear model demonstrates robustness of the model for predicting the Ni and Cd accumulation (MHM) in both the grasses. Ni accumulation was higher than Cd, roots had greater accumulation of heavy metal and vetiver was a greater accumulator of Ni and Cd from EW the contaminated soil than lemongrass. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Potential Microbial Consortium Mitigates Drought Stress in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Plant by Up-regulating Stress-Responsive Genes and Improving Fruit Yield and Soil Properties
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2022) Ram Krishna; Durgesh Kumar Jaiswal; Waquar Akhter Ansari; Saurabh Singh; P.S. Soumia; Achuit Kumar Singh; Babita Kumari; Major Singh; Jay Prakash Verma
The present study is conducted for the growth and yield improvement of tomato plants under drought stress by inoculation of hexa plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM). Hexa-PGPM consortium (Bacillus megaterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens, P. aeruginosa, P. putida, Paenibacillus polymyxa, and Trichoderma harzianum) is inoculated to the tomato plant, and growth attributes, membrane integrity, water status, accumulation of osmolyte, reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capability, and the qRT-PCR analysis were performed for expression of stress-responsive DREB, APX, CAT, SOD, and P5CS under 80% and 40% moisture content of the field capacity. Soil physico-chemical and microbial properties were also evaluated. Our results revealed that under drought, hexa-PGPM consortium-inoculated plants exhibited lower cellular damage and better plant growth and yield than non-inoculated plants. Antioxidant enzyme catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity decreases under drought stress condition and it increases in hexa-PGPM-inoculated plants. Simultaneously, the gene expression analysis showed up-regulation of a transcriptional activator (DREB1), osmolyte accumulators (P5CS), and ROS scavengers (CAT, SOD, APX) gene by application of hexa-PGPM consortium. Overall, the results showed that the hexa-PGPM application confers drought mitigation in tomatoes by altering different physico-biochemical and molecular parameters. In addition, the PGPM application also improved the soil’s physical, chemico-chemical, and biological properties under drought stress conditions. The present study supports the application of hexa- PGPM consortium to elevate drought tolerance, yield, and soil fertility enhancement under drought stress as a low-cost agro-biotechnology tool and environment-friendly drought management techniques in tomato crops. © 2022, The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Sociedad Chilena de la Ciencia del Suelo.
Reducing Arsenic Uptake in Cereal Crop Plants with Sugarcane Waste Application: A Comparative Study on the Effects on Physiology, Biochemistry, and Grain Nutrient Status
(Springer, 2023) Ambedkar Gautam; Nikita Basant; Navin Kumar; Kriti; Shiv Naresh Singh; Arvind Kumar Dubey; Gayatri Singh; Babita Kumari; Kavita Shah; Shekhar Mallick
C3 (Oryza sativa L.) and C4 (Zea mays L.) plants differ both in their carbon fixing mechanism, and thus, their responses toward stresses also differ. Owing to the mutually competitive nature of uptake between phosphate (iP) and arsenate (AsV) in plants, and given that the level of sucrose is also influenced by iP, interplay of their uptake mechanisms eventually results in reducing the AsV uptakes. The present study intends to comparatively assess the reduction in AsIII and AsV uptake and its toxicity between Oryza sativa L. and Zea mays L. when cultivated with sucrose-containing sugarcane wastes (SWs; bagasse, molasses, and pressmud) conducted under a simulated outdoor pot experiment. Overall improvement in growth, physiological performance, stress, and antioxidant response was exhibited in both the plants with SWs application. The SWs application also improved soil physiochemical parameters viz, pH, EC, OC, OM, and micronutrients. Application of SW also reduced the iAs accumulation in grains of both rice (50–87%) and maize (70–96%), along with enhancement in Fe (142%, and 122%, respectively), and Zn (132% and 131%, respectively). Most of the 17 grain’s amino acids (AAs) increased in maize against iAs stress, whereas Ser decreased in both, and Ile and Gly additionally in rice. Essential AAs viz. Phe, Thr, and Met are influenced negatively by iAs, whereas nonessential AAs viz. Cys, Ser, Pro, Gly in both the plant grains are positively influenced by iP and negatively by OC. Thus, the application of SWs containing residual sucrose > 9.5 µM g−1, through a fertilizer formulation or by direct soil amendments in iAs-contaminated soil can be an agronomic practice to reduce the iP fertilization and limit the iAs contamination in the food-chain. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.