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The work of UrFU biologists will help plants adapt to stressful conditions.
Photo Credit: Stepan Dolgov
Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Salinity-Resistant Biofertilizing Bacteria
The Core Concept: Researchers have identified two specific strains of bacteria (AP9 and AP12) capable of entering into a symbiotic relationship with plants to enhance survival, root development, and seedling growth in highly saline soils. These microorganisms function as living biofertilizers that protect crops, such as wheat, from osmotic and ion-specific toxicity.
Key Distinction/Mechanism: Unlike traditional mineral fertilizers (such as synthetic ammonia or nitrates) that provide a static nutrient deposit, these bacterial biofertilizers offer a prolonged, dynamic effect. They continuously synthesize phytohormones and increase nutrient availability throughout the vegetation period. By reducing oxidative stress and increasing the number of primary roots, the bacteria expand the plant's absorbent surface area and improve water and mineral uptake in otherwise hostile, saline environments.
Major Frameworks/Components:
- Bacterial Strains AP9 and AP12: Halotolerant (salt-tolerant) microorganisms isolated from naturally saline lake ecosystems.
- Symbiotic Phytohormone Synthesis: The continuous production of plant hormones by the bacteria to stimulate crop growth.
- Oxidative Stress Reduction: Biological mitigation of the cellular damage caused by excess salt accumulation.
- Root Architecture Modification: The stimulation of primary root generation to maximize the surface area for efficient nutrient and water absorption.
Branch of Science: Microbiology, Experimental Biology, Agricultural Biotechnology, and Agronomy.
Future Application: These bacterial strains are being developed into commercial biofertilizers that can be applied via seed treatment prior to sowing, direct soil application (liquid or dry), or foliar spraying. While currently tested on wheat, these biofertilizers hold the potential to adapt various other agricultural crops to saline or devastated soils.
Why It Matters: Soil salinity is a major global agricultural challenge that severely limits crop yields and stunts plant growth. Because wheat is a strategically critical food source—accounting for vast percentages of global crop acreage—developing biologically sound, sustainable methods to cultivate it on degraded lands ensures long-term food security and promotes bioeconomic and environmental efficiency.
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| Photo Credit: Stepan Dolgov |
Biologists at Ural Federal University have discovered new strains of bacteria that help plants survive in unsuitable saline soils. Experiments have shown that the treatment of wheat seeds with these bacteria increases plant survival and promotes root and seedling growth in conditions where the growth of many agricultural plants is inhibited. The scientists published a description of the experimental results in the journal Applied Microbiology.
"Salinity seriously limits crop yields, since excess salts cause osmotic and ion-specific toxicity in plants, they grow slowly and do not crop. One of the solutions to this problem is to increase the salt resistance of plants through the use of biofertilizers," said Associate Professor of the Department of Experimental Biology and Biotechnologies Anastasia Tugbaeva.
The aim of the UrFU biologists' work was to find bacterial strains that would help wheat, a strategically important agricultural crop for Russia, which accounted for 62% of the crop acreage in our country in 2025.
"Some soil bacteria are able to enter into symbiosis with plants. Biofertilizers based on such bacteria are different from mineral fertilizers such as synthetic ammonia or nitrates. They contain living microorganisms that help plants absorb nutrients from the soil. At the same time, biofertilizers have a prolonged effect: bacteria continue to work during the vegetation period, synthesizing phytohormones and increasing the availability of nutrients, which stimulates plant growth and resistance," added Anastasia Tugbaeva.
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| Photo Credit: Stepan Dolgov |
To search for such bacteria, biologists collected samples of spear-leaved orache and soils from saline lakes in the Chelyabinsk and Kurgan regions (Kurgan and Atavly, respectively). 12 bacterial strains were isolated, two of which – AP9 (from Lake Atavly) and AP12 (from Lake Kurgan) – showed good results in saline and highly saline conditions.
"Wheat's salt resistance increased, oxidative stress decreased, plant growth was maintained, the number of primary roots increased, which expanded the area of the absorbent surface and the efficiency of absorption of water and minerals," explains Olga Voropaeva, senior lecturer at the UrFU Department of Experimental Biology and Biotechnology.
Biofertilizers with such bacteria can be used to treat seeds before sowing, add them to the soil (water them with a solution or apply them dry), or treat plants on a leaf. The most productive method has yet to be determined, the researchers add. Today, scientists have selected the optimal concentration of bacteria for preparations, in which there is no shortage or overload of plants with bacteria. Taking this concentration into account, it will be possible to create biofertilizers. At the same time, in theory, bacteria can help other crops (not only wheat), but this will have to be verified by separate experiments.
The production of new biofertilizers requires an infrastructure for growing microorganisms under controlled conditions. According to scientists, new biotechnologies are paying off from the point of view of bioeconomics. Investments in initial infrastructure pay off through long-term savings and environmental efficiency.
Published in journal: Applied Microbiology
Authors: Anastasia S. Tugbaeva, Olga V. Voropaeva, Gregory I. Shiryaev, Alexander A. Ermoshin, and Irina S. Kiseleva
Source/Credit: Ural Federal University | Delfina Zakharova
Reference Number: mcb033026_01
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