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Meyerozyma guilliermondii alleviates waterlogging stress through the modulation of phytohormone metabolism and antioxidant enzyme activities in Zea mays L.
Abstract
Crop growth and yield are severely hampered by waterlogging, particularly in agricultural regions of Pakistan. Several methods of waterlogging management in agricultural soils exist, however, beneficial microorganisms are one of the sustainable and environmentally friendly methods to reduce the negative effect of waterlogging on crop growth and productivity. In this work, we assessed the ability of the isolated rhizofungus Meyerozyma guilliermondii (M. guilliermondii) to reduce waterlogging stress in seedlings of Zea mays L. Three duplicates of each treatment control, waterlogged, M. guilliermondii, and waterlogged + M. guilliermondii were used in the fully randomized experiment. The findings demonstrated that under waterlogged stress, M. guilliermondii successfully colonized the roots of maize seedlings, increasing the dry biomass (06.7%), fresh weight (43.4%), length of shoot (36.1%), and root (24.1%) comparing to the control. Important biochemical indicators were also higher in inoculated seedlings than in control, including the level of chlorophyll “a” (66.1%), chlorophyll “b” (56.4%), lipid content (23.5%), protein (46.2%), soluble sugar (44.4%), and Indole-3-Acetic Acid (76.5%). Oxidative stress indicators such as proline level (54.3%), salicylic acid (11.5%); malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were reduced together with a 311.7% increase in antioxidant enzyme activities, such as catalase, in comparison to the control, suggesting increased detoxification of ROS. According to these findings, M. guilliermondii improves maize resistance to waterlogging via regulating phytohormone levels and antioxidant defense. This approach provides a solution for sustainable waterlogging management in agriculture.
