ACC deaminase activity of bacterial species involved in conferring drought tolerance in sorghum (Sorghum biolor L.)

Abstract

One of the important mechanisms used by many rhizobacteria to sustain plant in abiotic stress is the production of the enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase. In our studies the eight moisture stress tolerant (MST) bacterial isolates were used to study their ACC deaminase activity. The four MST bacterial isolates tested positive for ACC deaminase activity were isolates of L1SC8, L3SC1, L1CcC1 and L2FmA4. They were found to enhance the plant growth promoting activity of sorghum plant under moisture stress condition may be due to the reason that the bacterial enzyme ACC deaminase cleaves the plant produced ACC which is immediate precursor of ethylene in plants thereby lowers the elevated ethylene level in the plant, and thereby allow the plant to be more resistant to a wide variety of abiotic stresses.