PrePhD_presentation

Screening of Rhizospheric Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria and Assessing Their Impact on Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) Growth and Tolerance towards Drought Stress Pre-Ph.D. Presentation Presented by: Abhay Kumar Srivastava Ph.D. Biotechnology (PT) Enrolment No: - A7130721005, AIB, AMITY UNIVERISTY, Lucknow Campus Guide: Prof. (Dr.) Rajesh K. Tiwari Dean (Academics) & Director (AIB) Amity University, Uttar Pradesh Lucknow Campus Under the supervision of Co-guide: Dr. V.P. Jaiswal Sr. Scientist, Agronomy ICAR-Indian Sugarcane Research Institute, LucknowSugarcane ❑ Sugarcane is an important commercial crop used for sugar production, ethanol, and other value-added products. 1 ✔ Jaggery, Khandwa from Sugarcane juice ✔ Major feed stock for ethanol production ✔ Bagasse for power generation ✔ Molasses for industrial fermentation ✔ Press mud for manureMetric World Sugarcane Overview India Sugarcane Overview Total Annual Production ~1.94 Billion Metric Tonnes ~453.16 Million Metric Tonnes Total Harvested Area ~26 Million Hectares (~260,000 sq km) ~5.74 Million Hectares (~57,400 sq km) Top 3 Countries / States 1. Brazil (~759.66 MMT) 39.2% of global production 2. India (~453.16 MMT) 23.4% of global production 3. China (~102.09 MMT) 1. Uttar Pradesh (2720.40 TT) 2. Maharashtra (1167.04 TT) 3. Karnataka (540 TT) MMT= Million metric tonnes TT= Thousand Tonnes Source: https://static.pib.gov.in/ 2Drought- An Abiotic Stress ❑ The most critical abiotic stress limiting sugarcane production ❑ Sugarcane growth and productivity are strongly influenced by water availability. ❑ Water deficit restricts leaf expansion, induces stomatal closure and reduces photosynthesis. Consequently, biomass accumulation, stalk elongation and cane weight ❑ In many sugarcane-growing regions, irregular rainfall, inadequate irrigation and increasing climatic variability make drought a serious constraint to sustainable production. 3Metric / Category Global / Worldwide Level India / National Level Total Agricultural Land ~4,800 Million Hectares (Cropland + Pastures) ~180 Million Hectares Drought affected agriculture land ~49% ~64% Sugarcane Area Impacted by Periodic/Severe Drought ~8.0 – 10.5 Million Hectares (~30% – 40% of global cane land faces acute water deficits) ~1.2 – 1.8 Million Hectares (~20% – 30% of Indian cane land experiences water stress during dry spells) ~20 million L Water per hectare for one irrigated crop cycle 30–60% Yield loss reported under severe drought 4❑These are beneficial bacteria that colonize the rhizosphere, in some cases, live inside plant tissues as endophytes. ❑They support plant growth through several direct and indirect mechanisms, particularly when plants face environmental stresses such as drought. ❑Actinomycetes, Arthrobacter, Azospirillum, Azotobacter, Bacillus spp., Burkholderia, Gluconacetobacter, Herbaspirillum Microbacterium, Pseudomonas spp., Rhizobium spp., Streptomycetales are few PGPR applied individually or as microbial consortia to enhance nutrient-use efficiency and improve sugarcane productivity during drought stress. Plant Growth-promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) 5PGPR support plants under water-limited conditions through multiple traits PGPR rhizosphere / endophytes Nutrient solubilization P, K, Zn and sulphur oxidation Phytohormones IAA, cytokinins, gibberellins Siderophores iron sequestration ACC deaminase lowers stress ethylene Biological N-fixation & ammonia improved N supply HCN & antioxidants defense, ROS control Potential outcomes: Improved root development, stress regulation and maintenance of photosynthetic activity under water deficit 6Research gap and rationale: Sugarcane PGPR work is scarce, and no inoculant is universally superior ❑Sugarcane has received comparatively little attention, although it is highly water- demanding. ❑Strain performance depends on genotype, soil texture, pH, irrigation and drought severity, so an inoculant that works in one cultivar may not transfer to another. ❑Locally adapted, drought-tolerant strains that combine several PGP traits are under-explored. ❑Rhizobacteria from sugarcane soils are likely to be better adapted to the host and the local environment than introduced strains. ❑Targeted screening followed by pot validation under drought is needed. 7Objectives: 1 To isolate and characterize plant growth-promoting (PGP) microbes from the rhizospheric soil of sugarcane. 2 To identify potential PGP rhizobacteria by biochemical and molecular methods. 3 To assess the effect of potential PGP rhizobacteria on the growth and physiological behavior of promising sugarcane varieties under drought stress. 8Study workflow Sampling 15 rhizosphere soils from ICAR–ISRI, Lucknow Isolation 68 bacterial isolates From 9 sugarcane genotypes Drought screen PEG-6000, 5–35% 12 tolerant isolates PGP traits Nutrients, hormones, siderophores Identification 16S rRNA + 4-method phylogeny: 4 strains Pot trials 8 treatments × 5 reps 2023–24, 2024–25 Objective 3: step 6 9 Objective 1: steps 1–2 Objective 2: steps 3–5