Sustained growth promotion in Arabidopsis with long-term exposure to the beneficial soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis (GB03)

Volatile emissions from the commercial growth promoting soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis (GB03) are effective in augmenting short-term growth, photosynthetic capacity and salt tolerance in Petri-dish grown Arabidopsis seedlings. In contrast, the impact sustained GB03 volatile exposure on plant growth and development has yet to be examined. Here is provided physical and physiological data establishing that bacterial volatiles induce long-term growth promotion, elevated photosynthetic capacity and iron accumulation, as well as delayed albeit higher seed count compared with water-treated control plants. Plants were grown unrestricted in double Magenta boxes containing solid MS media for up to twelve weeks with GB03 volatiles introduced in separate containers within the chamber so that plant bacterial interactions were only by airborne transmission. These results establish that GB03 volatiles induce sustained beneficial effects on Arabidopsis growth including robust and extended vegetative growth followed by elevated seed set.