Indigenous phosphate-solubilizing bacteria enhance germination in deteriorated rice seed

Bambang Pujiasmanto, Radian, Widyatmani Sih Dewi, Purwaningsih

Abstract: Certain soil microorganisms have the potential to improve the growth of plants. The aim of this study was to isolate the indigenous bacteria from acid sulphate soil, and evaluate whether this could enhance the germination of deteriorating rice seeds. It was revealed that four bacteria isolates (4A, 6A, 8RH, 10RH) were able to solubilise phosphate and produce indole and siderophore. Molecular identification, using the 16S rRNA gene, showed that these four isolates are Paenibacillus alvei strain NBRC 3343, P. alvei strain DSM 29, Bacillus cereus strain ATCC 14579 and B. cereus strain ATCC 14579. Evaluation showed that the four strains were able to increase the percentage of germination by up to 46.5%, the uniformity of germination by up to 30% and the germination rate by 7.1%/d on seed with ≤ 50% viability. Germination of seeds with 80% viability increased by only 14%, with a slight increase in the uniformity of germination (16%) and germination rate (8.81%/d).

Keywords: 16S rRNA gene; deteriorated rice seed; germination; indigenous; indole; phosphate-solubilising bacteria; siderophore

Date published: 2019-07-31