Antimicrobial and plant growth-promoting activities of bacterial endophytes isolated from Calotropis procera(Ait.)W.T.Aiton

Bacterial endophytes are beneficial to their hosts as they can fix nitrogen in the soil and make it available to the host.Endophytic bacteria also secrete plant growth-promoting hormones to support their host plants under normal as well as stress conditions.The current study aimed to isolate endophytic bacteria from different parts of Calotropis procera,i.e.,roots,stem and leaves of Calotropis procera(Ait.)W.T.Aiton.Plants were collected from the Lundkhwar,district Mardan.A total of 12 bacterial strains,i.e.,six from roots,three from the stem and three from the leaves were isolated.The strains were screened for their growth-promoting activity in rice plants because rice shows a quick and easy response to the bioactive compounds present in the culture filtrate(CF)of the potent endophytic strains.The rice plants were cultivated in pots containing 30 mL of 0.8%w/v water-agar medium.The pots were placed in a growth chamber,operated at 28±0.3℃ for 14 h(day);and 25±0.3℃ for 10 h(night),at 70%relative-humidity.Among the isolated strains,R1,S1,S3,L1,R5 and R6 showed visible growth promotion in rice plants.The biochemical analysis revealed that the strains were able to produce indole acetic acid(IAA)and flavonoids in higher quantities.Moreover,the strains also produced bioactive compounds that inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli and Aspergillus flavus using the well diffusion method.From the results,it was concluded that these strains can secrete potent compounds that can promote the host plant growth and inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and,therefore,can be used as bio-fertilizer and bio-control agents.

Effect of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) on Growth, Mineral Composition, and Nutritional Value of Wheat & Lentil Sprouts

Sprouts are ready-to-eat and are recognized worldwide as functional components of the human diet.Recent advances in innovative agricultural techniques could enable an increase in the production of healthy food.The use of light-emitting diode(LED)in indoor agricultural production could alter the biological feedback loop,increasing the functional benefits of plant foods such as wheat and lentil sprouts and promoting the bioavailability of nutrients.The effects of white(W),red(R),and blue(B)light were investigated on the growth parameters and nutritional value of wheat and lentil sprouts.In the laboratory,seeds were sown under three different LED treat-ments:white,red,and blue light,while normal incandescent light served as a control.Percentage seed germina-tion improved by 18.34%and 12.67%for wheat and 18.34%and 12.67%for lentil sprouts under LED treatments R and B,respectively.An increase in total soluble protein and sugar by 33.4%and 9.23%in wheat and by 31.5%and 5.87%in lentils was observed under the R LED treatment.Vitamin C concentrations in wheat and lentils were significantly increased by R LED compared to all other treatments.Other parameters,including potassium and sodium concentrations,were significantly increased under red and blue light compared to the control;white light,on the other hand,significantly decreased all these parameters.According to the experimental data,red and blue LED light could be beneficial in the production of functional wheat and lentil sprouts with high nutrient concentrations.