Unveiling the potential of Bacillus safensis PG-54 isolated from fermented panchagavya on Sorghum bicolor under salinity stress

Salinity stress in soil arises when high salt levels, especially sodium chloride, hinder plant growth by disrupting water and nutrient uptake. Panchagavya is a fermented preparation made up of five cow products (milk, dung, urine, curd, and ghee) used in natural farming. This study aims to investigate the beneficial effects of Bacillus safensis PG-54, a salt-tolerant bacteria isolated from fermented panchagavya on the growth and development of Sorghum bicolor under salinity stress. All plant growth-promoting activities, seed germination, and pot studies were conducted using 1.4% w/v NaCl treatment along with a control. The Bacillus safensis PG-54 showed better plant growth-promoting traits like indole-acetic acid (73.98 μg/ml), gibberellic acid (3.44 mg/ml), ammonia (37.53 μmol/ml), phosphate solubilization (88.76 μg/ml), and exopolysaccharide production (1.33 g/L). Bacterial culture treated seeds showed 87% germination and a 113.1 seed vigour index. The addition of B. safensis PG-54 culture enhanced root length (6.01 ×), shoot length (1.37 ×), leaf length (1.71 ×), wet weight (1.17 ×), and dry weight (1.73 ×) on sorghum plants in salinity stress. Biochemical parameters were also improved after application of B. safensis PG-54 like chlorophyll (9.54 mg/g tissue), protein (0.82 μg/ml), sugar (1.91 μg/ml), phenolics (3.70 μg/ml), proline (0.18 μg/ml) and salt tolerance index (0.711). The present study demonstrates the efficacy of Bacillus safensis PG-54 in improving plant growth and salt stress resilience, offering a promising solution for sustainable agriculture in saline soil.