Impact of Plant Growth Promoting Endophytic Bacterial Consortia on Biochemical Parameters of Maize under Moisture Stress Conditions in In vitro

Mitigation strategies based on plant–microbe interactions to increase the performance of plants under water-deficit conditions are well documented. However, little is known about a suitable consortium of bacterial inoculants and underlying physiological and enzymatic events to improve drought tolerance in maize. This study aimed to investigate the synergistic interactions among plant growth-promoting bacteria to alleviate drought-induced damages in maize. In pot culture experiment endophytic bacterial consortium inoculated treatments imposed with moisture stress (75% water holding capacity) with full dose (T9) and 75% recommended dose of fertilizers (T8) were found to excel in many plant biochemical properties when compared to un-inoculated control. For instance chlorophyll stability index T9 (138.67%) T8 (133.33%), relative water content T9 (95.20%), The N, P and K uptake was found significantly higher in T9 with 13.98 g plant-1, 3.38 g plant-1 and 17.29 g plant-1 respectively. Thus, the current research advocates the use of endophytic microbial consortium to mitigate moisture stress and to improve plant biochemical properties which ultimately enhances the plant health and yield.