Promoción del crecimiento de plantas de Zea mays L. por Tsukamurella paurometabola cepa C-924

Plant growth-promoting bacteria is a group in rhizosphere colonizing bacteria, which produces substances that enhance plant growth and/or protect them against pathogens. Tsukamurella paurometabola C-924 is a strain with nematocidal activity isolated from the rhizospheric soil of a banana plantation in Camaguey, Cuba. The aim of this work was to determine plant growth promoting traits of T. paurometabola C-924 as well as to assess the effect of this strain on the growth of Zea mays L. in the absence of nematodes. Results shown that T. paurometabola C-924 produced indole acetic acid, proteases, chitinases and had the capability to solubilize calcium triphosphate. T. paurometabola C-924 also showed antagonistic activity versus the phytopathogenic fungi tested (Sarocladium oryzae, Alternaria longipes, Pestalotia palmarum and Pythium debaryanum) and it improved the development of Z. mays plants in greenhouse conditions. T. paurometabola C-924 might have potential in future fi eld application not only as a nematocidic agent, but also as plant growth promoter. This is the fi rst report of an isolate of T. paurometabola with plant growth promoting activity.