Bacillus tropicus KH90 induces systemic drought tolerance in rice: an integrated PGPR-mediated mechanistic framework.
Md Gulzar AB, Mazumder PB
Soil Health
Coating rice seeds with a naturally occurring soil microbe before planting could help small-scale farmers keep their paddies productive through dry spells, without synthetic chemicals.
Researchers found that a beneficial bacterium living in soil can be applied to rice seeds or roots to help the plants withstand drought. When water is scarce, plants accumulate damaging molecules that hurt their cells — but this bacterium triggers the plant's own internal cleanup crew to neutralize that damage. The result is healthier roots, better nutrient uptake, and rice plants that bounce back from dry conditions far better than untreated ones.
Key Findings
KH90 inoculation significantly reduced accumulation of reactive oxygen species (superoxide and hydrogen peroxide) in drought-stressed rice plants while boosting activity of seven antioxidant enzymes including SOD, CAT, and APX.
Drought stress downregulated the aquaporin gene OsNIP1;1 (involved in water transport), but KH90 treatment restored its expression along with upregulating four key antioxidant genes.
KH90 improved root architecture and macro/micronutrient acquisition under drought conditions, establishing a linked physiological, biochemical, and molecular framework for bacteria-induced drought tolerance.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A soil bacterium called Bacillus tropicus KH90 helps rice plants survive drought by boosting their antioxidant defenses, improving root growth, and activating stress-response genes — offering a potential natural alternative to chemical treatments for drought-stressed crops.
Abstract Preview
In our previous study, Bacillus tropicus KH90 was identified as a drought-tolerant, multifunctional plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium that enhanced rice plant growth under both non-drought and ...
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