Analysis reveals that plant growth-promoting bacteria enhance resilience in maize under varying water regimes, indicating potential for crop improvement.
Key Points
Reproductive phase maize showed increased tolerance to osmotic stress and higher endophytic bacteria presence.
Isolates exhibited key bacteria traits such as phosphate solubilization and indole-3-acetic acid production.
Assessment involved identifying unique genetic fingerprints of 400 bacterial isolates from maize roots.
Findings support selecting specific bacterial strains to improve drought resilience in crops.