Fiaz1, Tahmina Latif*2, Aliya Batool3 and Allah Mafi1
1Institute of Botany, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan; 2Centre of Biochemistry and Biotechnology CAAB, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan
*Corresponding author: latiftahmina7@gmail.com
Heavy metal contamination, particularly with chromium (Cr) poses a serious threat to sustainable agriculture by impairing plant growth and productivity. The current study investigates the potential of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to alleviate chromium induced stress using Zea mays under laboratory conditions. Seeds were inoculated using Pseudomonas spp. (AH3 and AH2) and Pseudomonas qingdaonensis (AR5) and were sown in pots under chromium stress. Morphological parameters like shoot and root length, number of leaves, fresh weight, as well as biochemical parameters like chlorophyll and protein content, were recorded under stressed and non-stressed plants. The results demonstrated that chromium toxicity significantly reduced plant growth. However, bacterial inoculation, under stressed conditions, enhanced plant growth as well as biochemical parameters. Hence, PGPR can be effectively employed as a sustainable bio-remediation strategy to restore heavy metal-contaminated soils and enhance crop productivity under tress conditions.