Putative bacterial volatile‐mediated growth in soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) and expression of induced proteins under salt stress

AIMS: Plant root‐associated rhizobacteria elicit plant immunity referred to as induced systemic tolerance (IST) against multiple abiotic stresses. Among multibacterial determinants involved in IST, the induction of IST and promotion of growth by putative bacterial volatile compounds (VOCs) is reported in the present study. METHODS AND RESULTS: To characterize plant proteins induced by putative bacterial VOCs, proteomic analysis was performed by MALDI‐MS/MS after exposure of soybean seedlings to a new strain of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) Pseudomonas simiae strain AU. Furthermore, expression analysis by Western blotting confirmed that the vegetative storage protein (VSP), gamma‐glutamyl hydrolase (GGH) and RuBisCo large chain proteins were significantly up‐regulated by the exposure to AU strain and played a major role in IST. VSP has preponderant roles in N accumulation and mobilization, acid phosphatase activity and Na⁺ homeostasis to sustain plant growth under stress condition. More interestingly, plant exposure to the bacterial strain significantly reduced Na⁺ and enhanced K⁺ and P content in root of soybean seedlings under salt stress. In addition, high accumulation of proline and chlorophyll content also provided evidence of protection against osmotic stress during the elicitation of IST by bacterial exposure. CONCLUSIONS: The present study reported for the first time that Ps. simiae produces a putative volatile blend that can enhance soybean seedling growth and elicit IST against 100 mmol l⁻¹ NaCl stress condition. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The identification of such differentially expressed proteins provide new targets for future studies that will allow assessment of their physiological roles and significance in the response of glycophytes to stresses. Further work should uncover more about the chemical side of VOC compounds and a detailed study about their molecular mechanism responsible for plant growth.