Sustainable enhancement of basil quality and resilience through biopriming with Pseudomonas JP0825

Basil (Ocimum L.) is an important essential oil crop, medicinal plant, and culinary herb, belonging to the Lamiaceae family. It has extensive nutritional and therapeutic benefits, making it valuable in culinary and medicinal applications. Hence, in this study, we aimed to induce basil's nutritive and biological value. To this end, this study evaluates the potential of the plant growth-promoting Pseudomonas JP0825, isolated from the Jazan region, KSA, as a biopriming agent to improve the growth, nutritional quality, and bioactive compound profile of sweet (Ocimum basilicum L.) and American (Ocimum americanum L.) basil. The molecular identification of Pseudomonas JP0825 confirmed its phylogenetic relationship with other beneficial Pseudomonas species. Our findings revealed significant increases in photosynthetic pigments, biomass, and proximate composition, particularly in sweet basil, following inoculation. Elevated levels of vitamins, amino acids, and organic and fatty acids were observed, alongside enhanced secondary metabolites like phenolics and flavonoids, correlated with enhanced antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The antioxidant properties of treated basil improved significantly, as indicated by increased FRAP and ABTS activities. Furthermore, Pseudomonas JP0825 demonstrated an ability to boost the antimicrobial activity against various pathogenic bacteria and fungi, including Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella typhimurium, and Aspergillus flavus. These findings highlight the strain's potential as a sustainable alternative to chemical inputs, offering improvements in crop quality and resilience, and contributing to global food security efforts.