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Agronomy
Volume 15
Issue 2
10.3390/agronomy15020350
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

A Study on the Preparation of Multifunctional Bacillus spp. Composite Inoculants and Their Ability to Promote Watermelon Growth

by
Lin Li
1,
Ke Liu
2,
Fafa Lan
2,
Wentao Xiao
2,
Baoping Wang
1,
Jing Zhou
1,
Jitao Zhang
1,
Yunjie Wen
1,
Xiuhong Wang
1,* and
Xiangyuan Shi
1,*
1
Shanxi Institute of Organic Dryland Farming, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan 030031, China
2
College of Resources and Environment, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agronomy 2025, 15(2), 350; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15020350
Submission received: 1 January 2025 / Revised: 24 January 2025 / Accepted: 28 January 2025 / Published: 29 January 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Plant-Crop Biology and Biochemistry)
Versions Notes

Abstract

The development of plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) is one of the important research topics in agricultural microbiology. Four bacterial isolates that exhibited nitrogen fixation, phosphate and potassium solubilization, as well as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and siderophore production abilities, were selected from biogas residue, namely BR-1, BR-16, BR-17, and BR-44. According to morphological and molecular biological identification, BR-1, BR-16, BR-17, and BR-44 belonged to Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus megaterium, and Bacillus subtilis, respectively. The four functional strains were combined into a composite microbial community. The optimal media were peptone (15 g/L), sucrose (10 g/L), and KCl (2 g/L); the optimal incubation conditions were an initial pH of 7.0, a volume of 47 mL/250 mL, an inoculum size of 6% v/v, an incubation temperature of 31 °C, a shaking speed of 205 r/min, and an incubation period of 20 h, as determined through a single factor test and the response surface methodology (RSM). In the optimized process, a liquid bacterial inoculant with an OD600 of 1.866 was obtained, with an effective viable count of 8.955 × 109 CFU/mL. A solid bacterial inoculant was prepared by using bran as a substrate, and its effective viable count was 1.11 × 109 CFU/g. The application of the bacterial inoculants promoted the growth of watermelon, increased the photosynthetic efficiency and yield, and improved fruit quality. This study provides a theoretical basis and technical support for the development and application of microbial inoculants.
Keywords: Bacillus; microbial inoculants; plant growth promotion; response surface methodology (RSM); watermelon Bacillus; microbial inoculants; plant growth promotion; response surface methodology (RSM); watermelon

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MDPI and ACS Style

Li, L.; Liu, K.; Lan, F.; Xiao, W.; Wang, B.; Zhou, J.; Zhang, J.; Wen, Y.; Wang, X.; Shi, X. A Study on the Preparation of Multifunctional Bacillus spp. Composite Inoculants and Their Ability to Promote Watermelon Growth. Agronomy 2025, 15, 350. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15020350

AMA Style

Li L, Liu K, Lan F, Xiao W, Wang B, Zhou J, Zhang J, Wen Y, Wang X, Shi X. A Study on the Preparation of Multifunctional Bacillus spp. Composite Inoculants and Their Ability to Promote Watermelon Growth. Agronomy. 2025; 15(2):350. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15020350

Chicago/Turabian Style

Li, Lin, Ke Liu, Fafa Lan, Wentao Xiao, Baoping Wang, Jing Zhou, Jitao Zhang, Yunjie Wen, Xiuhong Wang, and Xiangyuan Shi. 2025. "A Study on the Preparation of Multifunctional Bacillus spp. Composite Inoculants and Their Ability to Promote Watermelon Growth" Agronomy 15, no. 2: 350. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15020350

APA Style

Li, L., Liu, K., Lan, F., Xiao, W., Wang, B., Zhou, J., Zhang, J., Wen, Y., Wang, X., & Shi, X. (2025). A Study on the Preparation of Multifunctional Bacillus spp. Composite Inoculants and Their Ability to Promote Watermelon Growth. Agronomy, 15(2), 350. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15020350

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