Whole Genome Sequences of Cellulose Producing Bacteria with PGP Traits and their Application as Seed Coat Agents to Enhance Plant Growth and Yield

Abstract Bacterial cellulose is a natural biopolymer used in various industries due to their tremendous properties i.e. 3D crystalline structure, high water holding capacity, biocompatibility and biodegradability, Therefore, researchers focus to investigate the sustainable ways for cellulose production and their applications. This study investigates cellulose producing bacteria along their credibility as a plant growth promotor, supported by their complete genome sequences obtained through whole-genome shotgun sequencing (WGS), used as a bio-input as the seed coat of Wheat. Various bacterial species were isolated from different fruit samples and screened as cellulose producers and plant growth-promotors. After qualitative and quantitate analysis one Acetobacter Sp. BCS2-7401 and three Bacillus spp. BCS4-7403, BCS6-7404 and BCS9-7407 were selected and identified as Acetobacter tropicalis (BCS2-7401), Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (BCS4-7403), Bacillus velezensis (BCS6-7404) and Bacillus subtilis (BCS9-7407). The assembled genome of Acetobacter tropicalis (BCS2-7401) consist of 4,289,507 bp, distributed in 75 contigs with an N50 value of 228.8kb and 54.8 % GC, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (BCS4-7403) consist of 3,974,689bp, distributed in 41 contigs with an N50 value of 2,032 and 46.5 % GC, and Bacillus velezensis (BCS6-7404) consist of 54,154bp, distributed in 33 contigs with an N50 value of 2,133.01 and 46 % GC while Bacillus subtilis (BCS9-7407) consist of 4,149,660bp, distributed in 63 contigs with an N50 value of 267 kb and 43 % GC. Primary screening of these strains confirmed the significant production of cellulose with other secondary metabolites, i.e., auxin production, HCN production, phosphate solubilization, indole production, and nitrogen fixation. The analysis of these bacterial genomes and proteome may provide important information on new polysaccharides production and other biomolecules of interests, which could lead to open the door for new kind of applications in polymer and agriculture industry.