Diversity of Endophytic Bacteria Associated with Different Cultivars of Medicinal Plant Arctium Lappa L. and Their Potential for Host Plant Growth Promoting

Purpose Arctium lappa L. is one of the medicinal and food homologous plants in China, which is rich in nutrients and medicinal ingredients. The use of plant growth promoting (PGP) endophytic bacteria is a useful alternative in agricultural production to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers. The aim of this study was to analysis the diversity of endophytic bacteria in different cultivars of A. lappa L. collected from two different geographical locations in China and evaluate PGP traits of the isolates and their potential PGP ability in greenhouse condition. Methods Endophytic bacterial community was investigated by culture-dependent and culture-independent methods. Isolates were screened and investigated for multiple PGP traits, and representative strains were inoculated host seedlings to evaluate the growth promoting effect. Results A total of 348 endophytic bacteria were obtained and they distributed into four phyla, 30 genera and 73 different species. In addition, high throughput sequencing revealed more abundant bacterial community, including 17 bacterial phyla, and 207 different known genera. A high proportion of PGP traits were detected, including production of indole acetic acid, siderophore, ammonia and phosphate solubilization. Four representative strains with multiple PGP traits of the most prevalent genera were further selected for host inoculation and growth promoting evaluation, and they significantly increase seedlings length, root length and fresh weight. Conclusion This study demonstrated that A. lappa L. harbors abundant endophytic bacteria, and plant genotype and geographical origin affect their composition. Moreover, some endophytic bacteria showed good potential for the development of microbial fertilizer in the future.