The present study was aimed at isolating endophytic fungi from the Asian culinary and medicinal plant Lilium davidii and analyzing its antifungal and plant growth‐promoting effects. In this study, the fungal endophyte Acremonium sp. Ld‐03 was isolated from the bulbs of L. davidii and identified through morphological and molecular analysis. The molecular and morphological analysis confirmed the endophytic fungal strain as Acremonium sp. Ld‐03. Antifungal effects of Ld‐03 were observed against Fusarium oxysporum, Botrytis cinerea, Botryosphaeria dothidea, and Fusarium fujikuroi. The highest growth inhibition, i.e., 78.39 ± 4.21%, was observed for B. dothidea followed by 56.68 ± 4.38%, 43.62 ± 3.81%, and 20.12 ± 2.45% for B. cinerea, F. fujikuroi, and F. oxysporum, respectively. Analysis of the ethyl acetate fraction through UHPLC‐LTQ‐IT‐MS/MS revealed putative secondary metabolites which included xanthurenic acid, valyl aspartic acid, gancidin W, peptides, and cyclic dipeptides such as valylarginine, cyclo‐[L‐(4‐hydroxy‐Pro)‐L‐leu], cyclo(Pro‐Phe), and (3S,6S)‐3‐benzyl‐6‐(4‐hydroxybenzyl)piperazine‐2,5‐dione. Other metabolites included (S)‐3‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2‐((S)‐pyrrolidine‐2‐carboxamido)propanoic acid, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), 9‐octadecenamide, D‐erythro‐C18‐Sphingosine, N‐palmitoyl sphinganine, and hydroxypalmitoyl sphinganine. The strain Ld‐03 showed indole acetic acid (IAA) production with or without the application of exogenous tryptophan. The IAA ranged from 53.12 ± 3.20 μg ml^-1 to 167.71 ± 7.12 μg ml^-1 under different tryptophan concentrations. The strain was able to produce siderophore, and its production was significantly decreased with increasing Fe(III) citrate concentrations in the medium. The endophytic fungal strain also showed production of organic acids and phosphate solubilization activity. Plant growth‐promoting effects of the strain were evaluated on in vitro seedling growth of Allium tuberosum. Application of 40% culture dilution resulted in a significant increase in root and shoot length, i.e., 24.03 ± 2.71 mm and 37.27 ± 1.86 mm, respectively, compared to nontreated control plants. The fungal endophyte Ld‐03 demonstrated the potential of conferring disease resistance and plant growth promotion. Therefore, we conclude that the isolated Acremonium sp. Ld‐03 should be further investigated before utilization as a biocontrol agent and plant growth stimulator.

Endophytic bacteria have been utilized as an alternative source to chemical fertilizers and pesticides to enhance plant productivity and defense mechanisms against biotic and abiotic stress. Five endophytic bacterial strains were isolated from the seeds of three different Pakistani wheat varieties (Ghaneemat-e-IBGE, Atta-Habib, and Siren). The isolated strains AH-1, S-5, S-7, GI-1, and GI-6 showed phylogenetic similarity with Bacillus altitudinis, B. aryabhattai, B. wiedmannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Burkholderia gladioli, respectively. All strains showed catalase activity (except AH-1) and Indole-3-acetic acid production, with the highest concentration (16.77 μg·mL⁻¹) found for GI-6, followed by S-5 (11.5 μg·mL⁻¹), nitrogen assimilation (except S-7), phosphorus solubilization (except S-7 and AH-1), and ability to produce siderophores, with maximum productions for GI-6 (31 ± 3.5 psu) and GI-1 (30 ± 2.9 psu). All five analyzed strains possessed antimicrobial activity, which was particularly strong in GI-6 and S-5 against Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus subtilis. Increasing salinity stress with NaCl negatively affected the bacterial growth of all isolates. However, strains GI-6 and S-5 showed salt tolerance after three days of incubation. A drought tolerance test resulted in a negative impact of poly ethylene glycol on bacterial growth, which was, however, less pronounced in GI-6 strain. The GI-6 strain revealed growth-promoting effects on inoculated wheat plants.

Transgenic plants with improved salt and drought stress tolerance have been developed with a large number of abiotic stress-related genes. Among these, the most extensively used genes are the glycine betaine biosynthetic codA, the DREB transcription factors, and vacuolar membrane Na+/H+ antiporters. The use of codA, DREBs, and Na+/H+ antiporters in transgenic plants has conferred stress tolerance and improved plant phenotype. However, the future deployment and commercialization of these plants depend on their safety to the environment. Addressing environmental risk assessment is challenging since mechanisms governing abiotic stress tolerance are much more complex than that of insect resistance and herbicide tolerance traits, which have been considered to date. Therefore, questions arise, whether abiotic stress tolerance genes need additional considerations and new measurements in risk assessment and, whether these genes would have effects on weediness and invasiveness potential of transgenic plants? While considering these concerns, the environmental risk assessment of abiotic stress tolerance genes would need to focus on the magnitude of stress tolerance, plant phenotype and characteristics of the potential receiving environment.These genes need careful evaluation based on their encoded proteins, underlying mechanisms, level of stress tolerance, phenotype of transgenic plant and the potential receiving environment. In the present review, we discuss environmental concerns and likelihood of concerns associated with the use of abiotic stress tolerance genes. Based on our analysis, we conclude that the uses of these genes in domesticated crop plants are safe for the environment. Risk assessment, however, should be carefully conducted on biofeedstocks and perennial plants taking into account plant phenotype and the potential receiving environment.

The present experiment was designed to isolate bacterial strains from the brick kiln soil and to check the activity and enzyme kinetics of amylase from these isolates. The bacterial colonies were isolated from soil samples through the serial dilution method. The bacterial isolates were identified through morphological, electron microscopic and molecular analysis. The 16S ribosomal RNA sequences of the isolates IR-1, IR-2, IR-3, IR-8, and IR-9 showed high similarities with Bacillus tequilensis, Bacillus paramycoides, Proteus alimentorum, Bacillus wiedmannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively. All of the bacterial isolates showed a positive catalase activity except IR-9. Furthermore, the isolates showed variable antagonistic effects against different bacterial pathogens. All of the strains produced indole acetic acid (IAA), and the concentrations increased in the presence of tryptophan application. The isolates showed the amylase enzyme activity and maximum activity of isolates was achieved in 4% starch concentration. The IR-9 isolate showed the highest amylase activity of 5.9 U/ml. The Vmax values of the extracellular amylase from different bacterial isolates ranged between 12.90 and 50.00 IU ml−1. The lowest Km value of 6.33 mg starch was recorded for IR-8 and the maximum Kcat value of 2.50 min−1 was observed for IR-3. The amylase activity of the isolates was significantly affected by a range of different incubation time, temperature, and pH values. Further tests are required before the potential utilization of these isolates for amylase production, and in the biopesticide and biofertilizer applications.

Microbial inoculants are an important tool for increasing arable land productivity and decreasing mineral fertilizer application. This study was aimed at isolating and identifying endophytic antagonistic bacteria from lily (Lilium davidii var. unicolor) roots grown in Northwestern China and at evaluating their antifungal activity and plant growth‐promoting characteristics. For this purpose, endophytic bacteria were isolated from plant roots, and plant growth‐promoting strains were identified. One bacterial strain, isolated from the root part, was identified as Bacillus halotolerans based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and was designated as LBG‐1‐13. The strain showed antagonistic activities against important plant pathogens of lily including Botrytis cinerea, Botryosphaeria dothidea, and Fusarium oxysporum. The highest percentage of growth inhibition, i.e., 71.65 ± 2.39%, was observed for LBG‐1‐13 against Botryosphaeria dothidea followed by 68.33 ± 4.70% and 48.22 ± 4.11% against Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium oxysporum, respectively. Meanwhile, the isolated strain also showed plant growth‐promoting traits such as the production of indole‐3‐acetic acid (IAA), siderophore, ACC deaminase, and phosphate solubilization activity. The strain showed ACC deaminase activity and was able to cleave 58.41 ± 2.62 nmol α‐ketobutyrate (mg protein)^-1 min^-1. The strain exhibited tolerance to salt and drought stress in an in vitro experiment. The strain LBG‐1‐13 was able to grow in the presence of 10% NaCl and 20% polyethylene glycol (PEG) in the growth medium. Inoculation of Lilium varieties, Tresor and Bright Diamond, with LBG‐1‐13 enhanced plant growth under greenhouse and field conditions, respectively. All these results demonstrated that Bacillus halotolerans LBG‐1‐13 could be utilized as a good candidate in the biocontrol of lily disease and plant growth promotion in sustainable agriculture.

A plant growth-promoting and antifungal endophytic bacteria designated as Ld-08 isolated from the bulbs of Lilium davidii was identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa based on phenotypic, microscopic, and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Ld-08 exhibited antifungal effects against Fusarium oxysporum, Botrytis cinerea, Botryosphaeria dothidea, and Fusarium fujikuroi. Ld-08 showed the highest growth inhibition, i.e., 83.82±4.76% against B. dothidea followed by 74.12±3.87%, 67.56±3.35%, and 63.67±3.39% against F. fujikuroi, B. cinerea, and F. oxysporum, respectively. The ethyl acetate fraction of Ld-08 revealed the presence of several bioactive secondary metabolites. Prominent compounds were quinolones; 3,9-dimethoxypterocarpan; cascaroside B; dehydroabietylamine; epiandrosterone; nocodazole; oxolinic acid; pyochelin; rhodotulic acid; 9,12-octadecadienoic acid; di-peptides; tri-peptides; ursodiol, and venlafaxine. The strain Ld-08 showed organic acids, ACC deaminase, phosphate solubilization, IAA, and siderophore. The sterilized bulbs of a Lilium variety, inoculated with Ld-08, were further studied for plant growth-promoting traits. The inoculated plants showed improved growth than the control plants. Importantly, some growth parameters such as plant height, leaf length, bulb weight, and root length were significantly (P ≤0.05) increased in the inoculated plants than in the control un-inoculated plants. Further investigations are required to explore the potential of this strain to be used as a plant growth-promoting and biocontrol agent in sustainable agriculture.