Isolation and identification of versatile Bacillus aryabhattai and their effect on plant growth promotion and essential oil yield in Eryngium foetidum L

Eryngium foetidum L. is a promising horticultural crop known for its numerous medicinal properties. Therefore, cultivating E. foetidum L. using sustainable practices is essential, which can be achieved by modifying the rhizospheric architecture of the soil with beneficial microorganisms. This study focuses on isolating the multifaceted bacteria Bacillus aryabhattai, exploring their potential in solubilizing inorganic phosphate sources, and enhancing plant growth and essential oil yield in E. foetidum L. under greenhouse conditions. The research also investigates the capacity of these bacteria to solubilize inorganic phosphate sources. The production of indole-3-acetic acid and gibberellic acid by B. aryabhattai was measured at 1.55 μg/ml and 2.25 μg/ml, respectively. The study found that B. aryabhattai was most effective in releasing phosphate from single super phosphate, followed by di-ammonium phosphate and tricalcium phosphate. Furthermore, plants treated with B. aryabhattai demonstrated a significant increase in both shoot and root lengths compared to untreated plants. The essential oil yield of E. foetidum L. plants inoculated with B. aryabhattai was found to be four times higher than that of un-inoculated plants under greenhouse conditions. The application of these versatile and previously unexplored bacteria resulted in significant improvements in biomass and essential oil yield while reducing the reliance on chemical fertilizers.