Growth Promoting Potential of Crop-Specific Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria in the Konkan Region of Maharashtra for Sustainable Agriculture

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are a specific class of bacteria that live freely in the soil and possess various qualities that make them ideal as biofertilizers. PGPR strains derived from the rhizosphere of primary crops, that is, rice (Oryza sativa), chili (Capsicum annuum), and French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) from various places of Konkan (Maharashtra) were identified. After the isolation, the bacteria were examined for crop-plant growth and development enhancement, including phosphate, potassium solubilization, zinc production, siderophores, and indole 3-acetic acid. The isolates that exhibited multiple beneficial functions were further studied and characterized regarding their morphology and biochemical properties. Overall, 311 microbial colonies were isolated using collected rhizospheric soil samples. Cultural and morphological observations were made for the bacterial isolates, and nine isolates were finally selected. Among these, three isolates were chosen for additional screening as per the effectiveness and amount of their crop-boosting characteristics. This investigation underscores the significance of PGPR isolation and screening for various biocontrol capabilities related to enhancing plant growth. For the PGPR strain to function as effectively as possible, it is strongly needed to identify region-specific and crop-specific PGPR strains.. KEYWORDS :Biofertilizer, Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, Rhizobacteria, Rhizosphere, Sustainable agriculture