Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Early Access

Isolation and molecular characterization of Bacillus megaterium ATCC 14581 and its effect on nitrogen fertilizer use reduction, growth and yield of baby corn

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.11425
Submitted
23 August 2025
Published
24-02-2026

Abstract

Despite the known benefits of biofertilizers, there remains a limited understanding of effective indigenous strains specifically adapted to baby corn cultivation. This study isolated, characterized and evaluated an indigenous strain, Bacillus megaterium ATCC 14581, from the baby corn rhizosphere to assess its potential as a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium biofertilizer. Morphological, biochemical and molecular analyses confirmed the identity and nitrogen-fixing capacity of this strain. Laboratory assays demonstrated significant nitrogenase activity alongside effective phosphate solubilization and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production, indicating multifunctional plant growth-promoting traits. Field experiments conducted with varying chemical nitrogen fertilizer (CNF) reduction levels (0, 25, 50 and 75 %) and bacterial inoculation revealed that inoculation with strain ATCC 14581 significantly improved baby corn growth parameters, including biomass, cob length and yield components compared to non-inoculated controls. Importantly, the strain enabled up to a 50 % reduction in CNF use without compromising yield, thereby contributing to nutrient efficiency. Inoculated plants showed increased protein and phosphorus levels in edible corn cobs. The strain showed good adaptability to environmental stresses, including temperature, pH and salinity, supporting its practical application. These results underscore the potential of strain ATCC 14581 as a sustainable biofertilizer that can help reduce CNF input, improve soil fertility and promote climate-smart agriculture in baby corn production systems. Further research on large-scale application and long term soil health impact is recommended to optimize field implementation.

References

  1. 1. Bairagi S, Saha A, Pandit MK, Das A. Phenology and yield of baby corn (Zea mays var. rugosa) as influenced by thermal regime. Int J Curr Microbiol App Sci. 2020;9(10):1361–69. https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2020.910.163
  2. 2. Simić M, Nikolić V, Škrobot D, Srdić J, Perić V, Despotović S, Žilić S. Effect of anthocyanin-enriched brine on nutritional, functional and sensory properties of pickled baby corn. Plants. 2023;12(9):1812. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12091812
  3. 3. Hooda S, Kawatra A. Nutritional evaluation of baby corn (Zea mays). Nutr Food Sci. 2013;43(1):68–73. https://doi.org/10.1108/00346651311295932
  4. 4. Swapna G, Jadesha G, Mahadevu P, Shivakumar BS, Ravindra Babu BT, Mallikarjuna N, Hanagi C. Baby corn: A new challenge, scope, present status and strategies. Plant Cell Biotechnol Mol Biol. 2024;25(1–2):1–12.
  5. 5. Kim KH, Lee BM. Effects of climate change and drought tolerance on maize growth. Plants. 2023;12(20):3548. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12203548
  6. 6. Kumar L, Chhogyel N, Gopalakrishnan T, Hasan MK, Jayasinghe SL, Kariyawasam CS, et al. Climate change and future of agri-food production. In: Bhat R, editor. Future foods. Academic Press; 2022. p. 49–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-91001-9.00009-8
  7. 7. Ghisman V, Muresan AC, Bogatu NL, Herbei EE, Buruiana DL. Recent advances in the remediation of degraded and contaminated soils. Agronomy. 2025;15(8):1920. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15081920
  8. 8. Xing Y, Xie Y, Wang X. Enhancing soil health through balanced fertilization. Front Microbiol. 2025;16:1536524. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1536524
  9. 9. Khan MT, Aleinikovienė J, Butkevičienė LM. Innovative organic fertilizers and cover crops. Agronomy. 2024;14(12):2871. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14122871
  10. 10. Etesami H. The dual nature of plant growth-promoting bacteria. Curr Res Microb Sci. 2025;9:100421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crmicr.2025.100421
  11. 11. Van Chuong N, Tran Le KT. Enhancing soil fertilizer and peanut output using endophytic bacteria and vermicompost. Int J Agric Biosci. 2024;13(4):596–602. https://doi.org/10.47278/journal.ijab/2024.145
  12. 12. Aasfar A, Meftah Kadmiri I, Azaroual SE, Lemriss S, Mernissi NE, Bargaz A, et al. Agronomic advantage of bacterial biological nitrogen fixation on wheat. Front Plant Sci. 2024;15:1388775. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1388775
  13. 13. Chuong NV, Nguyen Ngoc Phuong T, Nguyen Van T. Nitrogen fertilizer use reduction by endophytic diazotrophic bacteria in corn. Commun Sci Technol. 2024;9(2):348–55. https://doi.org/10.21924/cst.9.2.2024.1527
  14. 14. Ehinmitan E, Losenge T, Mamati E, Ngumi V, Juma P, Siamalube B. Biosolutions for green agriculture. Int J Microbiol. 2024;6181491. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/6181491
  15. 15. Timofeeva AM, Galyamova MR, Sedykh SE. Plant growth-promoting soil bacteria. Plants. 2023;12(24):4074. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12244074
  16. 16. Yang P, Condrich A, Scranton S, Hebner C, Lu L, Ali MA. Utilizing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. Bacteria. 2024;3(4):434–51. https://doi.org/10.3390/bacteria3040030
  17. 17. Chuong NV. Influence of Enterobacter cloacae strain Fg 5-2 on groundnut yield. Trends Sci. 2024;21(9):8039. https://doi.org/10.48048/tis.2024.8039
  18. 18. Aasfar A, Hilali A, Bennis A, Zeroual Y, Kadmiri YM. Nitrogen-fixing Azotobacter species as soil biological enhancers. Front Microbiol. 2021;12:628379. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.628379
  19. 19. Figiel S, Rusek P, Ryszko U, Brodowska MS. Microbially enhanced biofertilizers. Agronomy. 2025;15(5):1191. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15051191
  20. 20. Nguyen Van C. Influences of Enterobacter asburiae on soil fertility and peanut yield. Curr Appl Sci Technol. 2025;25(4):e0260428. https://doi.org/10.55003/cast.2025.260428
  21. 21. Díaz-Rodríguez AM, Parra Cota FI, Cira Chávez LA, García Ortega LF, Estrada Alvarado MI, Santoyo G, de los Santos-Villalobos S. Microbial inoculants in sustainable agriculture. Plants. 2025;14(2):191. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14020191
  22. 22. Jiang Z, Wang Q, Ning S, Lin S, Hu X, Song Z. Application of magnetized ionized water and Bacillus subtilis in saline soil. Plants. 2024;13(17):2458. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13172458
  23. 23. Marzouk SH, Kwaslema DR, Omar MM, Mohamed SH. Harnessing soil microbes for sustainable rice production. Heliyon. 2025;11(1):e41158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e41158
  24. 24. Singh A, Deb SK, Singh S, Sharma P, Kang JS. Effects of nonleguminous cover crops on baby corn (Zea mays L.). Horticulturae. 2020;6(2):21. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae6020021
  25. 25. Pelloso MF, Filho PSV, Scapim CA, Ortiz AHTA, Numoto AY, Freitas IRM. Seed inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense in baby corn. Heliyon. 2023;9(4):e14618. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14618
  26. 26. Chuong N. Impact of Klebsiella quasipneumoniae inoculation on baby corn. Eurasian J Soil Sci. 2024;13(2):133–38. https://doi.org/10.18393/ejss.1408090
  27. 27. Moreira B, Gonçalves A, Pinto L, Prieto MA, Carocho M, Caleja C, Barros L. Intercropping systems in nut production. Agriculture. 2024;14(7):1149. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14071149
  28. 28. Khangura R, Ferris D, Wagg C, Bowyer J. Regenerative agriculture practices and mechanisms. Sustainability. 2023;15(3):2338. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032338
  29. 29. Trang N, Chuong N. Soil fertility enhancement by Streptomyces panayensis. Eurasian J Soil Sci. 2025;14(2):140–48. https://doi.org/10.18393/ejss.1630363
  30. 30. Fanai A, Bohia B, Lalremruati F, Lalhriatpuii N, Lalrokimi, Lalmuanpuii R, et al. PGPB-induced plant adaptations to stress. PeerJ. 2024;12:e17882. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17882
  31. 31. Van Chuong N, Le Kim Tri T. Endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria from peanut nodules. Int J Microbiol. 2024;8973718:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/8973718
  32. 32. Nxumalo CI, Ngidi LS, Shandu JSE, Maliehe TS. Endophytic bacteria from Anredera cordifolia. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020;20(1):300. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-020-03095-z
  33. 33. Weisburg WG, Barns SM, Pelletier DA, Lane DJ. 16S rDNA amplification for phylogenetic study. J Bacteriol. 1991;173(2):697–703. https://doi.org/10.1128/jb.173.2.697-703.1991
  34. 34. Saitou N, Nei M. The neighbor-joining method. Mol Biol Evol. 1987;4(4):406–25. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a040454
  35. 35. Tamura K, Peterson D, Peterson N, Stecher G, Nei M, Kumar S. MEGA5 software. Mol Biol Evol. 2011;28(10):2731–39. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msr121
  36. 36. Lemoine F, Domelevo Entfellner JB, Wilkinson E, Correia D, Dávila Felipe M, de Oliveira T, Gascuel O. Renewing Felsenstein’s bootstrap. Nature. 2018;556(7702):452–56. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0043-0
  37. 37. Kumar S, Diksha, Sindhu SS, Kumar R. Biofertilizers for nutrient recycling. Curr Res Microb Sci. 2022;3:100094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crmicr.2021.100094
  38. 38. Borah A, Das R, Mazumdar R, Thakur D. Endophytic bacteria of Camellia spp. J Appl Microbiol. 2019;127(3):825–44. https://doi.org/10.1111/jam.14356
  39. 39. Puri A, Padda KP, Chanway CP. Endophytic diazotrophs in pine and spruce. For Ecol Manag. 2018;430:558–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2018.08.049
  40. 40. Soper FM, Simon C, Jauss V. Measuring nitrogen fixation by ARA. Biogeochemistry. 2021;152:345–51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-021-00761-3
  41. 41. Daoliang L, Xianbao X, Zhen L, Tan W, Cong W. Detection methods of ammonia nitrogen in water. TrAC Trends Anal Chem. 2020;127:115890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2020.115890
  42. 42. Nautiyal CS. Growth medium for phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1999;170:265–70. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6968.1999.tb13383.x
  43. 43. Gang S, Sharma S, Saraf M, Buck M, Schumacher J. IAA production in Klebsiella by LC-MS/MS. Bio-protocol. 2019;9(9):e3230. https://doi.org/10.21769/BioProtoc.3230
  44. 44. Mustafa A, Özden E. Salt tolerance of endophytic root bacteria in tomato. Braz J Microbiol. 2023;54:3147–62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42770-023-01127-7
  45. 45. Shah AS, Steve A, Wakelin DJM, Blond C, Noble A, Ridgway HJ. pH adaptation of Rhizobium strains from Trifolium spp. J Microbiol Methods. 2022;195:106455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mimet.2022.106455
  46. 46. Amri M, Rjeibi MR, Gatrouni M, Mateus DMR, Assess N, Pinho HJO, Abbes C. Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria from Tunisian soils. Microorganisms. 2023;11(3):783. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11030783
  47. 47. Pudleiner T, Sutter E, Knyrim J, Karnutsch C. Colorimetric phosphate detection. Micromachines. 2021;12(12):1492. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12121492
  48. 48. Song P, Yang X, Hou M, Chen Y, Liu L, Feng Y, Ni Y. Ruminal yeast with probiotic potential. Microorganisms. 2025;13(6):1270. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13061270
  49. 49. Kroetsch D, Wang C. Particle size distribution. In: Carter MR, Gregorich EG, editors. Soil sampling and methods of analysis. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2008. p. 713–25.
  50. 50. Walkley A, Black IA. Determination of soil organic matter. Soil Sci. 1934;37:29–38. https://doi.org/10.1097/00010694-193401000-00003
  51. 51. Olsen SR, Sommers LE. Phosphorus. In: Page AL, editor. Methods of soil analysis. Madison: ASA; 1982.
  52. 52. Hendershot WH, Duquette M. Barium chloride method for cation exchange capacity. Soil Sci Soc Am J. 1986;50(3):605–608. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1986.03615995005000030013x
  53. 53. Zaporojan N, Hodișan R, Pantiș C, Csep AN, Zaporojan C, Zaha DC. Detection of MDR-TB and XDR-TB. Antibiotics. 2025;14(7):732. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14070732
  54. 54. Van Chuong N, Thanh Liem T, Le Kim Tri T, Ngoc Phuong Trang N, Tran Hai Dang P. Bacillus songklensis and Bacillus siamensis with vermicompost in peanut. Asian J Agric iol. 2025;3:e2025142. https://doi.org/10.35495/ajab.2025.142
  55. 55. Chuong NV, Trang NNP, Liem TT, Dang PTH. Bacillus songklensis with cattle manure in peanut. Int J Agric Biosci. 2025;14(4):629–36. https://doi.org/10.47278/journal.ijab/2025.030
  56. 56. de Almeida Leite R, Martins da Costa E, Cabral Michel D, do Amaral Leite A, de Oliveira-Longatti SM, de Lima W, et al. Genomic insights into phosphate-solubilizing bacteria. World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2024;40(10):311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-024-04119-3
  57. 57. Chuong NV, Tri TLK, Liem TT, Thuan NV, Em TVT, Trang NNP. Four newly identified endophytic Bacillus megaterium strains with biofertilizer potential for enhancing maize growth and productivity. Trends Sci. 2026;23(3):11347. https://doi.org/10.48048/tis.2026.11347
  58. 58. Chuong NV, Vu TM, Tuan LM, Son NTT, Tri TLK, Thuan NV, Trang NNP. Enhanced soil fertility and baby maize yield through Bacillus megaterium CM2 under reduced nitrogen input. Commun Sci Technol. 2025;10(2):411–21. https://doi.org/10.21924/cst.10.2.2025.1832

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.