Functional Genomics of a Zinc‐Solubilising Kosakonia cowanii RL ‐16 and Its Application for Zinc Biofortification in Oryza sativa L.

ABSTRACT Zinc (Zn) is assumed to be the most important micronutrient due to its involvement in different biochemical processes. The daily requirement of Zn for the human body, however, cannot be fulfilled by traditional staple crops such as rice due to its low availability to plants, especially in alkaline soils. The present study was carried out to investigate the potential of indigenous microbial flora, isolated from different agroecological zones, for Zn solubilization and combating Zn deficiency in rice. Out of a total of 135 isolates, RL‐16, identified as Kosakonia cowanii , emerged as the most valuable resource for sustainable agricultural applications due to its incredible Zn solubilization potential and additional PGP characteristics. Gene mining of RL‐16 revealed the footprints of solubilization of Zn and other nutrients. Under microcosmic conditions, zinc content was significantly improved for the treatment with RL‐16 (134.7 mg/kg ± 0.6), compared to the control containing only an insoluble zinc source (107.7 mg/kg ± 1.6). Zinc translocation in seed (ZnSd) was enhanced by the application of RL‐16 across both varieties, which was also confirmed by field evaluation. This study demonstrates the whole genome sequence analysis of Kosakonia cowanii and its potential role in Zn biofortification for more targeted and sustainable agricultural practices.