Growth-Promoting Effects of Ten Soil Bacterial Strains on Maize, Tomato, Cucumber, and Pepper Under Greenhouse Conditions

Beneficial interactions between plants and bacteria are crucial in agricultural practices, as bacteria can improve soil fertility, promote plant growth, and protect plants from pathogens. This study aimed to molecularly identify and characterize soil bacterial isolates and evaluate their effect on the growth of maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.), tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersici</i> L.), cucumber (<i>Cucumis sativus</i> L.), and pepper (<i>Capsicum annuum</i> L.) under greenhouse conditions. Plant growth parameters, including plant height, root length, and fresh (FW) and dry (DW) weights, were measured. Additionally, pigment extraction and element content analysis using leaves were performed. Among the isolates, the most effective strain in the greenhouse experiment was <i>Bacillus safensis</i> SCF6, which significantly enhanced plant height and fresh weight across all tested plants, with the greatest influence observed in maize plant height (439.42 ± 6.42 mm), fresh weight (14.07 ± 0.87 g plant^-1 FW), and dry weight (1.43 ± 0.17 g plant^-1 DW) compared to the control (364.67 ± 10.33 mm, 9.20 ± 1.16 g plant^-1 FW, and 0.92 ± 0.15 g plant^-1 DW, respectively). Other strains also demonstrated notable results, with <i>Microbacterium testaceum</i> SCF4, <i>Bacillus mojavensis</i> SCF8, and <i>Pseudomonas putida</i> SCF9 showing the highest plant growth-promoting effects on pepper, tomato, and cucumber, respectively. <i>Pseudomonas putida</i> SCF9 demonstrated strong antifungal activity against <i>Monilinia laxa</i>, with a percentage of mycelial growth inhibition (PGI) of 72.62 ± 2.06%, while <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> SCF1 exhibited effects against <i>Botrytis cinerea</i> (PGI = 69.57 ± 4.35%) and <i>Cercospora</i> sp. (PGI = 63.11 ± 1.12%). The development and application of beneficial bacterial inoculants or their formulated products can contribute to environmentally friendly farming practices and global food security.