Soil bacteria help corn plants survive drought better
Ramos LM, Berleze FDB, E Souza LDTS, Franções MV, Astarita LV
Crop Improvement
If you've ever watched your vegetable garden wilt during a dry spell, this points to a living soil ally that could help thirsty crops like corn push out longer roots and pull through water shortages.
Scientists tested four strains of a common soil bacteria called Streptomyces to see if they could help corn plants cope with drought. When they added these bacteria to corn grown in dry soil, the plants grew longer roots and more overall mass compared to corn without the bacterial boost. One strain even increased root length by 22% in drought-stressed plants, suggesting these microbes could become a natural tool for helping crops survive water shortages.
Key Findings
All four Streptomyces isolates remained metabolically active and retained growth-promoting traits even under severe water stress (-1.7 MPa)
Strain CLV179 increased root length by 22% in drought-stressed maize compared to non-bacterized controls
Strains CLV100 and CLV115 enhanced maize biomass and shoot growth under drought conditions (30% field capacity vs. 100% field capacity controls)
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers found that certain soil bacteria (Streptomyces) can help maize plants grow bigger roots and stay healthier during drought, offering a potential natural alternative to synthetic drought treatments for crops.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Streptomyces rhizobacteria enhance growth and drought tolerance in maize (Zea mays L.) under greenhouse conditions.
Drought is among the most severe limitations to crop productivity, impairing plant development. Although plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria have been reported to alleviate drought stress in sever...
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Maize, also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. The leafy stalk of the plant gives rise to male inflorescences or tassels which produce pollen, and female inflorescences called ears. The ears yield grain, known as kernels or seeds. In modern ...