Defying salinity, drought, and pH extremes: A multifunctional rhizobacterium, Burkholderia gladioli ST3M-39a, matches fertilizer efficacy in wheat via phosphate solubilization
- 1Shubham Biotech Nepal Private Limited, Chitwan, Nepal
- 2Biotechnological Research and Development Center Private Limited, Chitwan, Nepal
- 3National Biotechnology Research Center, Nepal Agricultural Research Council, Lalitpur, Nepal
Abstract
Global phosphorus scarcity and the environmental impacts of chemical fertilizers necessitate sustainable microbial alternatives for agriculture. We characterized Burkholderia gladioli ST3M-39a, a maize rhizosphere isolate, as a multifunctional plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium with exceptional climate resilience. The strain achieved rapid phosphate solubilization (177.96 ± 5.26 µg/mL within 24 h; molybdenum-antimony assay), zinc solubilization, and ammonia production, EPS production, produced stress-alleviating enzymes (cellulase and protease), and biosurfactant production. Crucially, it maintained robust growth and phosphate-mobilizing capacity under extreme abiotic stresses: pH 4.5–8.5, 7.5% NaCl salinity, and drought-mimicking low water activity (aw 0.950, 32% sorbitol). The strain was non-hemolytic and non-pathogenic to plants. In wheat trials, ST3M-39a inoculation significantly increased the growth parameters (p < 0.05 vs. those of the uninoculated controls), resulting in 85–92% of the biomass stimulation observed with diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer. This multifunctional stress tolerance, coupled with its near-fertilizer efficacy, positioned ST3M-39a as a transformative bioinoculant for degraded soils. Field validation of its agricultural deployment and ecological impact is now pivotal.
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BibTeX
@article{silwal2026defying,
title = {{Defying salinity, drought, and pH extremes: A multifunctional rhizobacterium, Burkholderia gladioli ST3M-39a, matches fertilizer efficacy in wheat via phosphate solubilization}},
author = {Sudip Silwal and Asmita Shrestha and Shreejan Pokharel and Bignya Chandra Khanal and Ramesh Acharya and Gyanu Raj Pandey},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0332355},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0332355},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Defying salinity, drought, and pH extremes: A multifunctional rhizobacterium, Burkholderia gladioli ST3M-39a, matches fertilizer efficacy in wheat via phosphate solubilization
AU - Sudip Silwal
AU - Asmita Shrestha
AU - Shreejan Pokharel
AU - Bignya Chandra Khanal
AU - Ramesh Acharya
AU - Gyanu Raj Pandey
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/09
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0332355
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0332355
AB - Global phosphorus scarcity and the environmental impacts of chemical fertilizers necessitate sustainable microbial alternatives for agriculture. We characterized Burkholderia gladioli ST3M-39a, a maize rhizosphere isolate, as a multifunctional plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium with exceptional climate resilience. The strain achieved rapid phosphate solubilization (177.96 ± 5.26 µg/mL within 24 h; molybdenum-antimony assay), zinc solubilization, and ammonia production, EPS production, produced stress-alleviating enzymes (cellulase and protease), and biosurfactant production. Crucially, it maintained robust growth and phosphate-mobilizing capacity under extreme abiotic stresses: pH 4.5–8.5, 7.5% NaCl salinity, and drought-mimicking low water activity (aw 0.950, 32% sorbitol). The strain was non-hemolytic and non-pathogenic to plants. In wheat trials, ST3M-39a inoculation significantly increased the growth parameters (p < 0.05 vs. those of the uninoculated controls), resulting in 85–92% of the biomass stimulation observed with diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer. This multifunctional stress tolerance, coupled with its near-fertilizer efficacy, positioned ST3M-39a as a transformative bioinoculant for degraded soils. Field validation of its agricultural deployment and ecological impact is now pivotal.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -