Draft Genome Sequence of Phosphate-Solubilizing Bacterium Paraburkholderia tropica Strain P-31 Isolated from Pomegranate (Punica granatum) Rhizosphere.

We report the 8.9 Mb draft genome sequence of phosphate-solubilizing bacterium Paraburkholderia tropica strain P-31, isolated from pomegranate (Punica granatum) rhizosphere. The draft genome sequence of Paraburkholderia tropica strain P-31 consists of 8,881,246 bp with a G+C content of 64.

Citricoccus zhacaiensis B-4 (MTCC 12119) a novel osmotolerant plant growth promoting actinobacterium enhances onion (Allium cepa L.) seed germination under osmotic stress conditions.

The water potential of rhizospheric soil is a key parameter that determines the availability of water, oxygen, and nutrients to plants and microbes. Recent global warming trends and erratic precipitation patterns have resulted in the emergence of drought as a major constraint of agricultural productivity. Though several strategies are being evaluated to address this issue, a novel approach is the utilization of microbes for alleviation of drought stress effects in crops.

Aspergillus flavus impairs antioxidative enzymes of Sternochetus mangiferae during mycosis.

Insects depend upon cuticular, humoral and cellular defenses to resist mycosis. However, entomopathogenic fungi through co-evolution have developed mechanisms to counter such defenses. Although a plethora of mechanisms of mycosis by entomopathogenic fungi are well-established, studies on the impairment of insects' antioxidative enzymes during mycosis remain elusive.

Alleviation of cold stress in inoculated wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings with psychrotolerant Pseudomonads from NW Himalayas.

Twelve psychrotolerant Pseudomonad strains were selected on the basis of various plant growth-promoting (PGP) activities at cold temperature (4°C). The effect of inoculation with Pseudomonad strains on cold alleviation and growth of wheat seedling at cold temperature (8°C) was investigated under greenhouse condition. Inoculation with Pseudomonad strains significantly enhanced root/shoot biomass and nutrients uptake as compared to non-bacterized control at 60 days of plant growth.

Mountain aspect influences the genetic clustering of psychrotolerant phosphate solubilizing Pseudomonads in the Uttarakhand Himalayas.

Fourteen cold tolerant phosphate solubilizing bacteria isolated from high altitude representative locations of the two major mountain aspects of the Uttarakhand Himalayas (cooler north and warmer south facing slopes) were selected for this study. The tricalcium phosphate (TCP) solubilizing abilities of the isolates were estimated at three different incubation temperatures viz., 4, 15, and 30 degrees C under in vitro conditions.

Differential toxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis strains and their crystal toxins against high-altitude Himalayan populations of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L.

Background: Diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), is a major insect pest of crucifers in the biodiversity-rich north-western Indian Himalayan hills. The present investigation was aimed at determining the susceptibility pattern of P.