Role of Bacteria-Derived Flavins in Plant Growth Promotion and Phytochemical Accumulation in Leafy Vegetables.

Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 bacteria secretes a considerable amount of flavins (FLs) and can form a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with legumes. This strain is also associated with non-legume plants. However, its role in plant growth promotion (PGP) of non-legumes is not well understood. The present study evaluated the growth and development of lettuce ( Lactuca sativa ) and kale ( Brassica oleracea var. acephala) plants inoculated with S. meliloti 1021 (FL + ) and its mutant 1021Δ ribBA , with a limited ability to secrete FLs (FL - ). The results from this study indicated that inoculation with 1021 significantly ( p < 0.05) increased the lengths and surface areas of the roots and hypocotyls of the seedlings compared to 1021Δ ribBA . The kale and lettuce seedlings recorded 19% and 14% increases in total root length, respectively, following inoculation with 1021 compared to 1021Δ ribBA . A greenhouse study showed that plant growth, photosynthetic rate, and yield were improved by 1021 inoculation. Moreover, chlorophylls a and b , and total carotenoids were more significantly ( p < 0.05) increased in kale plants associated with 1021 than non-inoculated plants. In kale, total phenolics and flavonoids were significantly ( p < 0.05) increased by 6% and 23%, respectively, and in lettuce, the increments were 102% and 57%, respectively, following 1021 inoculation. Overall, bacterial-derived FLs enhanced kale and lettuce plant growth, physiological indices, and yield. Future investigation will use proteomic approaches combined with plant physiological responses to better understand host-plant responses to bacteria-derived FLs.