Unveiling the Plant Growth-Promoting Potential of an Arsenic-Resistant Isolate: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Agriculture

This study utilizes a bacterial strain, Lysinibacillus sp. AS3 which was previously found resistant to arsenic (As). The strain was studied for exopolysaccharides (EPS), biofilm, siderophore, Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) producing ability in presence of arsenate (As5+) and arsenite (As3+) heavy metal (HM) ions, which would help to determine its plant growth promoting activity. The study was done through both qualitative and quantitative assessment to observe the significant changes in exposure to As HMs. Moreover, phytotoxicity assay was performed on Vigna radiata seeds in presence of the both the HM ions. The results indicated enhanced production of biofilm, IAA and EPS in presence of both HM ions. While, reduced production of siderophore was recorded in presence of As3+ HM ions. Further, it was observed that employing AS3 strain on V. radiata seeds showed stimulating effect on the growth of the seedlings albeit arsenic stress, along with enhanced growth of the seedlings as compared to control. Thus, present study shows that this AS3 strain could be a potent strain in agriculture applications.