Designing an Efficient Consortium for Improved Crop Productivity using Phosphate Stress Adapted Bacteria with Multiple Growth-Promoting Attributes

An efficient consortium NEER-PHOS was designed using high phosphate solubilizing microbes isolated from lab-scale bioreactor operated under phosphate (Pi) rich, limiting, and stress conditions to meet the current agronomy demands in an eco-friendly manner. Individual microbes were screened for higher phosphate solubilizing potential with additional growth-promoting abilities like nitrogen fixation, potassium solubilization, auxin, and HCN production. The best-selected multipotent microbes were used to design the consortium. The selected microbes T166, X225, X303, X308, X298, and PVN-1 were identified as Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Chryseobacterium sp., and Klebsiella pneumoniae, respectively and results into more than 250 mg/L released PO43 in liquid medium. A total of 63 consortium combinations were assayed, and the best solubilizing combination, number 58 (557.8 mg/L-PO43−), was selected for the pot experiment. The performance of the designed consortium was studied on Vigna radiata, Cicer arietinum, and Triticum aestivum. The overall analyzed growth parameters suggest that the designed consortium enhances growth significantly (p < 0.05) and reduces fertilizers by 50–100% in V. radiata and C. arietinum. Hence, the designed consortium NEER-PHOS can reduce the chemical fertilizer application and simultaneously improve plant productivity.