Rhizobacteria associated with Parkinsonia aculeata L. under semi desertic drought and saline conditions

Abstract

Plants rhizosphere and bacterial communities’ association offer great advantages for its adaptation to adverse conditions in desert ecosystems. In the Sonoran Desert, Mexico, there is low diversity of species due to the significant incidence of high salinity, drought and extreme temperatures. However, Parkinsonia aculeata L. is an endemic species adapted to these adverse environmental conditions. Here, we aimed to isolate and molecularly characterize bacterial isolates associated with P. aculeata rhizosphere grown in saline soils (BL site) and drought (RT site). A total of thirty-three bacteria isolates from the P. aculeata rhizosphere were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing finding members of the genera: Bacillus, Enterobacter, Priestia, Sinomonas, Micrococcus, Kocuria, Staphylococcus, Streptomyces, Arthrobacter and Peribacillus. Priestia followed by Bacillus and Staphylococcus genus showed the major abundance percentages in both sites. The isolated strains were previously reported to exhibit plant beneficial traits, promote plant growth preserve the soil, provide an opportunity for the development of environmentally friendly alternatives for agriculture and to be used as experimental models to study drought/salt mitigation.