Solubilization of Inorganic Phosphate by Endophytic Pseudomonas sp. from French Bean Nodules

Phosphorus (P) is one of the major essential macronutrient for plant growth. Phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PCB) is a group of heterotrophic bacteria capable of solubilizing organic and inorganic phosphorus from insoluble compounds, releasing phosphate available for plant uptake. In this study endophytic bacteria were isolated form nodules of French bean grown in different intercropping systems. Only 14 out of 158 endophytic isolates were able to solubilize tricalcium phosphate (TCP). None of them were observed to solubilize FePO4 and AlPO4. Eight isolates formed solubilization zones larger than 3 mm and were used for further test. The TCP solubilization was measured in liquid Pikovskaya medium and ranged from 14-182 μgml-1 of soluble phosphorus. TCP solubilization was correlated with acidity and pH decreasing from 7.4 to 5.57 and 4.91 for the lowest and the highest solubilizer, respectively, were observed. The most efficient isolate MP18 was selected and identified as Pseudomonas sp. according to 16S rRNA gene analysis.