This study aimed to determine the promotion of the growth and nutrient uptake of Camellia japonica seedlings in coastal lands by bacterial inoculation. Soil salinity reduces plant growth and development in coastal areas due to the osmotic stress that perturbs nutrient uptake. | Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Turk J Agric For (2017) 41: 381-388 © TÜBİTAK doi: Research Article Inoculation with Bacillus licheniformis MH48 to improve Camellia japonica seedling development in coastal lands 1 2 1, Hyun-Gyu PARK , Min-Hae JEONG , Young-Sang AHN * Division of Forest Resources, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea 2 Division of Applied Bioscience and Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea 1 Received: Accepted/Published Online: Final Version: Abstract: This study aimed to determine the promotion of the growth and nutrient uptake of Camellia japonica seedlings in coastal lands by bacterial inoculation. Soil salinity reduces plant growth and development in coastal areas due to the osmotic stress that perturbs nutrient uptake. The soil electrical conductivity at the sites of this study ranged from to dS m–1. Application of chemical fertilizer resulted in the limited uptake of nutrients in seedlings under saline conditions as well as a low nutrient content in the soil caused by leaching, with no significant influence on the growth of the seedlings. However, Bacillus licheniformis MH48 increased the total nitrogen and total phosphorus in the soil due to atmospheric nitrogen fixation and the solubilization of phosphorus via organic acid exudation. In addition, B. licheniformis MH48 produces auxin, which stimulates root development and nutrient uptake. The bacterial inoculation could reduce the ethylene levels in seedlings by containing ACC deaminase, thus alleviating salt stress. Thus, bacterial inoculation significantly increased plant biomass to amounts of g plant–1 (the sum of the leaves and shoots) and g plant–1 in the roots of the seedlings. The nutrient uptake by seedlings .
