The effect of plant-associated rhizobacteria on the resistance of white mustard to soil drought

Abstract

The paper discusses the results of a vegetation experiment with Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR), namely such products as Agrofil, Mizorin, Flavobakterin, and Ekstrasol, used as organic fertilizers for white mustard of the Rapsodiya/Rhapsody variety (k-4278) grown in normal soil moisture and drought. The study aims to determine the role of plant-associated PGPR strains in physiological processes and productivity of white mustard grown in normal moisture and soil drought during the critical stages of plant development. The growth stimulators showed to increase plant productivity under normal moisture facilitating growth and an increase in the number of leaves and seeds. Insufficient soil moisture disrupts water balance in plants. The seeds treated with PGPR were more physiologically stable and retained more water under short-term drought facilitating sufficient seed yield. Mizorin and Flavobakterin proved to be most effective under normal moisture, while the seeds inoculated with Agrofil performed best—both biologically and economically—in drought.