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Drought Alleviation Efficacy of a Galactose Rich Polysaccharide Isolated from Endophytic Mucor sp. HELF2: A Case Study on Rice Plant

Summary

This research discovered that a natural sugar compound produced by beneficial fungi can help rice plants survive drought conditions. The compound works by improving plants’ natural defense mechanisms and water retention abilities. This discovery has important implications for agriculture and food security. Key impacts on everyday life: • Could help maintain rice production during drought periods, ensuring stable food supply • Offers an environmentally friendly solution to protect crops from drought damage • May help reduce water usage in agriculture while maintaining crop yields • Could lead to lower food prices by preventing crop losses during dry seasons • Provides a sustainable alternative to chemical crop treatments

Background

Agriculture is crucial for the global food economy and GDP, particularly in India. Crop losses due to biotic and abiotic stressors require effective management techniques. While biotic stress can be addressed with various chemical and biological methods, abiotic stress management, especially drought, has received less attention despite severely impacting crop development and yield globally.

Objective

To investigate the drought stress alleviating properties of a Galactose-Rich Heteropolysaccharide (GRH) isolated from endophytic Mucor sp. HELF2, a symbiont of the East Indian screw tree Helicteres isora, on rice seedlings. The study aimed to optimize GRH production and evaluate its effectiveness in improving rice plant resistance to drought conditions.

Results

GRH production was enhanced 1.5-fold (20.10 g/L) under optimized conditions. Treatment with 50 ppm GRH showed the best results, improving relative water contents by 1.58 times, fresh weight by 2.38 times, root length by 3 times, and shoot length by 4 times compared to controls. Biochemical parameters also improved significantly, with increases in soluble sugars (3.5x), proline (3.89x), and chlorophyll content (2.32x), while malondialdehyde content decreased 6-fold. Antioxidant enzyme activities were also elevated.

Conclusion

The study demonstrated that foliar application of GRH effectively promotes drought resistance in rice plants through multiple physiological and biochemical mechanisms. The optimized production and proven efficacy of GRH makes it suitable for commercial exploitation in sustainable farming, particularly in drought-prone areas.
  • Published in:Frontiers in Microbiology,
  • Study Type:Laboratory Experimental Study,
  • Source: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1064055
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