Genetic and Functional Diversity among Fluorescent Pseudomonads Isolated from the Rhizosphere of Banana

Fluorescent pseudomonads from banana rhizospheric soil were isolated and screened for the production of enzymes and hormones such as phosphatase, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase, protease, and antifungal metabolites. Of 95 isolates, 50 (52%) isolates solubilized tri-calcium phosphate (TCP), 63 (66%) isolates produced plant growth hormone IAA, 10 (11%) isolates exhibited ACC deaminase, and 23 (24%) isolates produced protease. Isolates were screened for antifungal activity toward phytopathogenic fungi. Gene-specific primers have identified the putative antibiotic producing isolates. These putative isolates were grown in the production media and production of antibiotics was confirmed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Genotypic analysis by BOX (bacterial repetitive BOX element)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) resulted into three distinct genomic clusters at a 50% similarity level and 62 distinct BOX profiles. Based on the sequence similarity of 16S rRNA and construction of subsequent phylogenetic tree analysis, isolates were designated as Pseudomonas monteilii, P. plecoglossicida, P. fluorescens, P. fulva, P. mosselii, P. aeruginosa, P. alcaligenes, and P. pseudoalcaligenes. Present study revealed the genetic and functional diversity among isolates of fluorescent pseudomonads associated with rhizospheric soil of banana and also identified P. monteilii as dominant species. The knowledge on genetic and functional diversity of fluorescent pseudomonads associated with banana rhizosphere is useful to understand their ecological role and for their utilization in sustainable agriculture.