Leaf-sprayed bacteria let tomatoes thrive on less fertilizer
Kumar S, Rathore M, Sharma P, Grover M, Kaushik R
Crop Improvement
If you've ever over-fertilized a tomato plant out of anxiety, this points to a future where a simple leaf spray of beneficial bacteria does more work than a bag of synthetic feed.
Scientists collected bacteria living naturally on tomato and eggplant leaves and tested which ones could handle drought-like stress and help the plant absorb nutrients. Two standout strains, when sprayed directly on leaves, let farmers use a quarter less fertilizer while still getting better root growth, nutrient uptake, and even protection against a destructive blight disease. It's a low-tech, low-cost way to grow healthier plants with fewer chemical inputs.
Key Findings
14 osmotolerant bacterial isolates (mostly Acinetobacter and Bacillus) were identified from tomato and brinjal leaf surfaces across two agro-climatic regions.
Bacillus stercoris KBL91 combined with 75% recommended fertilizer dose doubled tomato root biomass and pushed nutrient use efficiency above 100% for all macronutrients, peaking at 159.43% for potassium.
Bacillus subtilis VBR72 inhibited the late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans by 87.44%, while both strains allowed at least a 25% cut in synthetic fertilizer use.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Spraying leaves with certain naturally occurring bacteria let researchers cut synthetic fertilizer use by at least 25% in tomato and eggplant while still boosting root growth and nutrient uptake, and one strain also fought off a major blight pathogen.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Bioprospecting osmotolerant phyllosphere bacteria: functional characterization and biotechnological application for enhanced nutrient use efficiency in solanum crops.
This study investigated a targeted foliar inoculation strategy using phyllosphere-competent epiphytic bacteria to enhance the agronomic performance of solanaceous crops, specifically tomato and bri...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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