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Multi-metal resistance and plant growth promotion potential of a wastewater bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its synergistic benefits

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Abstract

Water and soil pollution by toxic heavy metals (HMs) is increasing globally because of increase in population, industrialization and urbanization. It is a burning problem for the public, scientists, academicians and politicians how to tackle the toxic contaminants which jeopardize the environment. One possible solution for pollution abatement is a bioremediation-effective and innovative technology that uses biological systems for treatment of contaminants. Many bacteria synthesize indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) which is a product of l-tryptophan metabolism and belongs to the auxin class of plant growth-promoting hormone. The present study aimed at assessing the resistance pattern of wastewater bacteria against multiple HMs and plant growth promotion activity associated with IAA. A Gram-negative bacterial strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa KUJM was isolated from Kalyani Sewage Treatment Plant. This strain showed the potential to tolerate multiple contaminations such as As(III) (50 mM), As(V) (800 mM), Cd (8 mM), Co (18 mM), Cu (7 mM), Cr (2.5 mM), Ni (3 mM) and Zn (14 mM). The capability of IAA production at different tryptophan concentration (1, 2, 5 and 10 mg mL−1) was determined, and seed germination-enhancing potential was also estimated on lentil (Lens culinaris). Such type of HM-resistant, IAA-producing and seed germination-enhancing P. aeruginosa KUJM offer great promise as inoculants to promote plant growth in the presence of toxic HMs, as well as plant inoculant systems useful for phytoremediation of polluted soils. Hence, P. aeruginosa KUJM finds significant applications in HM-contaminated poor agricultural field as well as in bioremediation of HM-contaminated wastewater system.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to University of Kalyani for providing fund (No. 1R/URS/Env Mangt/2013) and all sorts of infrastructural support for carrying out the research. Sincere acknowledgement is also due to Dr. Ekramul Islam and Mr. Arindam Chakraborty, Department of Microbiology, University of Kalyani for their kind help in the process of bacterial identification.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pollution, Ecotoxicology and Ecotechnology Research Unit, Department of Ecological Studies, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal, 741235, India

    Jayanta Kumar Biswas & Monojit Mondal

  2. International Centre for Ecological Engineering, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, West Bengal, 741235, India

    Jayanta Kumar Biswas

  3. Laboratory of Soil- and Groundwater-Management, Institute of Foundation Engineering, Water- and Waste-Management, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, University of Wuppertal, Pauluskirchstraße 7, 42285, Wuppertal, Germany

    Jörg Rinklebe & Sabry M. Shaheen

  4. Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University, 98 Gunja-dong, Gwnagjin-gu, Seoul, 143-747, South Korea

    Jörg Rinklebe & Hocheol Song

  5. Department of Marine Science, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Calcutta 11, 700019, India

    Santosh Kumar Sarkar

  6. Department of Environmental Science, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Calcutta 11, 700019, India

    Punarbasu Chaudhuri

  7. Department of Biotechnology, SGB Amravati University, Amravati, Maharashtra, 444602, India

    Mahendra Rai

  8. Department of Soil and Water Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Kafrelsheikh, Kafr El-Sheikh, 33 516, Egypt

    Sabry M. Shaheen

  9. Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Government College University, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan

    Muhammad Rizwan

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  1. Jayanta Kumar Biswas
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Biswas, J.K., Mondal, M., Rinklebe, J. et al. Multi-metal resistance and plant growth promotion potential of a wastewater bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its synergistic benefits. Environ Geochem Health 39, 1583–1593 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-017-9950-5

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