Rhizobial mitigation of potyvirus enhances plant growth and biomass resilience

Wisam Mohammed Abd, Farah Abdulsattar Abdul-Jabbar

Abstract


Potyvirus infection can severely impair legume growth and productivity, whereas beneficial rhizobacteria may enhance plant performance and resilience under biotic stress. This study evaluated the growth-promoting and stress-mitigating effects of Rhizobium leguminosarum in cowpea challenged with potyvirus. The bacterial isolate exhibited characteristic Rhizobium morphology and biochemical properties and was molecularly identified as R. leguminosarum based on phylogenetic analysis. Potyvirus infection was confirmed through characteristic symptoms on indicator plants and positive ACP-ELISA reactions. Viral infection markedly suppressed plant growth, reducing shoot and root biomass, whereas rhizobial inoculation substantially alleviated these effects. At 100 days after planting, virus-infected rhizobium-inoculated plants produced 13.54 g shoot fresh weight plant-1 compared with 5.98 g plant-1 in virus-infected uninoculated plants. Similarly, shoot dry weight increased from 1.02 to 2.62 g plant-1, while root fresh weight increased from 3.24 to 7.70 g plant-1 following rhizobial inoculation. Rhizobial inoculation also markedly enhanced nodulation, with approximately 39 nodules plant-1 in virus-infected inoculated plants compared with 1.6 nodules plant-1 in virus-infected uninoculated plants. Shoot nitrogen concentration reached 2.502% in virus-free rhizobium-inoculated plants and remained relatively high under viral infection. Overall, R. leguminosarum substantially improved biomass production, root development, nodulation, and nitrogen status of potyvirus-infected cowpea, indicating its potential as a component of sustainable strategies for enhancing crop resilience to viral stress. Further multi-location studies are required to validate its effectiveness under diverse agroecological conditions.

Keywords


Rhizobium leguminosarum, Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), Potyvirus stress, Biological nitrogen fixation, Plant growth promotion

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.33804/pp.010.04.6222

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