ArticleBMC plant biology2026
Seed endophyte Kosakonia cowanii ZX1-2 enhances drought tolerance of Cenchrus pauciflorus via exopolysaccharide-mediated antioxidant and osmotic regulation.
Article in BMC plant biology, 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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Abstract
backgroundCenchrus pauciflorus Benth. (field sandbur) is a highly invasive weed with strong drought tolerance. However, the contribution of seed-associated endophytes to its stress adaptation remains unclear. This study investigated whether seed endophytes enhance drought tolerance and growth in C. pauciflorus, with particular emphasis on microbial exopolysaccharide (EPS)-mediated mechanisms.
resultsA dominant seed endophyte, Kosakonia cowanii ZX1-2, was isolated and characterized for drought tolerance, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production, and EPS synthesis. Its effects on seed germination, seedling growth, and drought responses of C. pauciflorus were evaluated using Petri dish and pot experiments under PEG-6000-induced osmotic stress. Antioxidant enzyme activities and EPS sugar composition were also analyzed. Strain ZX1-2 maintained stable growth under 14% PEG-6000 stress and produced 22.23 mg/L IAA. Under drought stress, ZX1-2 inoculation increased germination energy, root-to-shoot ratio, root length, and fresh weight by 72%, 46%, 62%, and 67%, respectively. In pot experiments under drought stress, ZX1-2 increased plant height, stem diameter, root length, and biomass by 34%, 47%, 40%, and 183%, respectively. EPS treatments further promoted growth. In the seed experiment, two-fold-diluted EPS increased germination rate, germination energy, root length, and shoot length by 75%, 61%, 188%, and 113%, respectively. In the pot experiment, two-fold-diluted EPS increased plant height, stem diameter, root length, and biomass by 40%, 201%, 54%, and 70%, respectively. EPS application also enhanced CAT, POD, and SOD activities and increased soluble protein and proline accumulation. Targeted sugar profiling detected 19 EPS-associated sugars, among which inositol, D-( +)-trehalose, maltose, and D-(-)-fructose were dominant.
conclusionThese findings suggest that K. cowanii ZX1-2 may enhance drought tolerance and growth in C. pauciflorus, and that EPS-associated changes in antioxidant defense and osmotic-related metabolites may contribute to this effect. This study provides evidence for a seed endophyte-driven mechanism that may contribute to the drought adaptation and invasion success of C. pauciflorus under increasingly arid conditions.
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