Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
(eISSN: 2229-4473)
Zinc solubilizing bacteria Pantoea dispersa SHL2C isolated from lichen with additional growth promoting activity on Sorghum vulgare, a crop plant
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Research Articles | Published: 15 June, 2026
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Keywords: Lichen, n Pantoea dispersan , Seed bio-priming, Zinc solubilizing bacteria (ZSB)
Abstract
Zinc solubilizing bacteria (ZSBs) are gaining importance as they can solubilize insoluble organic or inorganic sources of zinc minerals and make them available to plants. These ZSBs are commonly found in soil near the rhizosphere. However, they have also been found as endophytes. Here we present the first evidence of the presence of such zinc solubilizing bacteria from a new source, namely, lichen thallus, which is a complex symbiotic association between fungi and photosynthetic member either green algae or cyanobacteria. Presently, different types of bacteria, viruses, or other unicellular eukaryotes are also found in the lichen, forming a micro community. This study focused on isolation of zinc solubilizing bacteria from lichen and to evaluate their plant growth promoting activity on crop plant seedlings. Seven different bacterial strains were isolated from the corticolous crustose lichen Lecanora leprosa Fée collected from three different locations of West Bengal, India. After preliminary screening, one bacterial strain was selected based on zinc solubilization efficiency. The selected bacterial strain also showed other Plant Growth Promoting activities viz., potassium and phosphate solubilization activity, nitrogen fixing activity, Hydrogen cyanide, Siderophores, and indole production activity. The isolate was identified as Pantoea dispersa by 16s rDNA gene sequence analysis. Seeds of Sorghum vulgare were bio-primed with this bacterial strain which resulted in more seedling vigor.
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Author Information
Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India