INTERACTION OF PSEUDOMONAS AND AZOSPIRILLUM SPECIE WITH WHEAT PLANT ROOTS TO ENHANCE PLANT PRODUCTIVITY AGAINST DROUGHT STRESS

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L) is regarded as the main staple crop of Pakistan. Drought is one major environmental stress that badly affects crop production. Plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria are proven to increase crop productivity and plant resistance. The zone of continuing interaction between soil bacteria and plant roots is known as the rhizosphere. Plants draw rhizosphere microorganisms to accumulate in the internal and surface tissues of their roots through root exudates. Numerous of these microbes, often referred to as plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, support plant growth by a variety of direct and indirect procedures such as biological nitrogen fixation, nutrient solubilization, and disease management. A field experiment was conducted at the Agronomic research area, Faculty of Agriculture and environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur. Crop was sown on 21st November 2022 under normal management practices. However, drought was created at tillering and anthesis stage and Pseudomonas and Azospirillum both are applied alone and in combination. The treatments included T0= Control, T1= Drought + Azospirillum, T2= Drought + Pseudomonas, T3= Drought + Azospirillum + Pseudomonas. The experiment was held out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications having a net plot size of 5m*3m. Fisher’s analysis of variance was used to statistically analyze all the acquired data at a 5% probability level. Findings of the present study indicated that plant height (101.87cm), number of fertile tillers (360.00m-2), spike length (11.8cm), number of grains spikes (46.00-2), number of spikelet spikes (20.993-2), grain weight (40.00g), biological yield (13.407 t ha-1), harvest index (34.987%), 1000-grain protein contents (40.00g), grain yield (5.63 t ha-1), grain nitrogen contents (17.36%), grain phosphorus contents (3.7567%), grain potassium (4.25%), total chlorophyll contents (46.500mg g-1), osmotic (0.77 MPa) and water potential (0.5 MPa)were significantly increased in Drought + Azospirillum + Pseudomonas group as compared to control group. Finally, it was concluded that wheat growth is significantly impacted by drought stress. However, when Azospirillum and Pseudomonas are used correctly, wheat becomes more drought-tolerant and Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) can decrease the impact of drought stress and increase crop yield.