Isolation and Characterization of Plant Growth Promoting and Metal Resistant Archaea Associated with the Rhizosphere of Salsola stocksii and Atriplex amnicola

Abstract

Halophilic microorganisms play a crucial role in plant health and growth in salinity affected lands. The objective of this study was to evaluate the haloarchaeal diversity from the rhizosphere of halophytes and plant growth promoting abilities of these strains. The whole genome sequences of two haloarchaeal strains, Halorubrum lacusprofundi HL1RP11 and Halobacterium noricense NRS2HaP9, were analyzed, and genes related to plant growth promoting traits were identified. Phylogenetic analysis showed that archaeal strains of Halococcus, Halorubrum, Halobacterium and Natrinema were dominant in the rhizosphere of halophytes. More than 60% of the strains were positive for phosphate solubilization and IAA production. About 33% were siderophore producers. More than 40% of haloarchaeal strains showed the heavy metal resistance for Nickel, Cadmium, Chromium and Zinc at a concentration of 5mM. Genes involved in plant growth promotion were identified through annotation. Gene clusters related to secondary metabolites including phenazine, siderophore production and terpene were also identified in this study. Our results suggested that these haloarchaeal strains can be used as an eco-friendly biofertilizer to improve growth and productivity in hypersaline environment.