Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41498978›Full record

ArticleBiodegradation2026

Adaptive and eco-biotechnological potential of a desert-derived rhizobacteria in mitigating drought stress through physiological modulation in maize.

Ramiz Raja, Kausar Hussain Shah, Ghulam Sarwar, Tauseef Anwar, Huma Qureshi, Seema Mehmood, Habib-Ur-Rehman Athar, Hossam S El-Beltagi, Nazih Y Rebouh, Leman Novruzova and 4 more

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Article in Biodegradation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Ramiz RajaMolecular Plant-Microbe Interaction Lab., Institute of Botany, Bahauddin Zakeriya University, Multan, 60800, Pakistan.
Kausar Hussain ShahMolecular Plant-Microbe Interaction Lab., Institute of Botany, Bahauddin Zakeriya University, Multan, 60800, Pakistan. kausar.shah@bzu.edu.pk.
Ghulam SarwarDepartment of Botany, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
Tauseef AnwarDepartment of Botany, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan. tauseef.anwar@iub.edu.pk.
Huma QureshiDepartment of Botany, University of Chakwal, Chakwal, Pakistan.
Seema MehmoodMolecular Plant-Microbe Interaction Lab., Institute of Botany, Bahauddin Zakeriya University, Multan, 60800, Pakistan.
Habib-Ur-Rehman AtharMolecular Plant-Microbe Interaction Lab., Institute of Botany, Bahauddin Zakeriya University, Multan, 60800, Pakistan.
Hossam S El-BeltagiAgricultural Biotechnology Department, College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, 31982, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. helbeltagi@kfu.edu.sa.
Nazih Y RebouhInstitute of Environmental Engineering, RUDN University, Miklukho-Maklaya St., 117198, Moscow, Russia.
Leman NovruzovaDepartment of Basic Medical Sciences, Nakhchivan State University, Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan.
Kabulzhan AzizovScientific and Experimental Station of Forage Crops, 13 Kakhramon Str., Zangiata District, 111811, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Ibtisam M AlsudaysDepartment of Biology, College of Science, Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia.
Khalid H AlamerBiological Sciences Department, Faculty of Science and Arts, King Abdulaziz University, 21911, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia.
Munisa BekmukhamedovaDepartment of Ecology and Hydrogeology, University of Geological Sciences, Mirzo-Ulugbek District, St. Olimlar 49, Olimlar 64A, 100041, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Drought stress is a major abiotic constraint limiting crop productivity and ecosystem stability in arid and semi-arid regions. The use of stress-adapted plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) represents a sustainable strategy to enhance crop resilience while maintaining soil ecological function. This study characterized a desert-adapted, halotolerant Exiguobacterium sp. C-20, isolated from the rhizosphere of Panicum antidotale in the Cholistan Desert (Pakistan), for its plant growth-promoting traits and its ability to mitigate drought stress under controlled conditions. The strain exhibited strong phosphate-solubilizing activity, produced indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and generated ammonia in vitro, confirming its functional potential as a PGPR. In greenhouse experiments, seed and soil inoculation of maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids (G-3 and G-7) exposed to drought (40% field capacity) significantly improved photosynthetic performance, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll stability (SPAD values), biomass accumulation, and tissue moisture content compared with non-inoculated controls. These improvements reflect enhanced plant physiological performance under water deficit rather than speculative mechanisms. Overall, the findings identify Exiguobacterium sp. C-20 as a promising microbial resource for developing eco-sustainable bioinoculants to improve drought tolerance and productivity in dryland agroecosystems.

Indexed as

Zea maysDesert ClimateDrought ResistanceDroughtsPhotosynthesisRhizosphereSoil MicrobiologyStress, PhysiologicalDrought stressEco-biotechnologyExiguobacterium sp.HalotoleranceMicrobial adaptationSustainable agriculture

Identifiers

PMID41498978

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.