ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Symbiotic Interactions
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1692957
Isolation and Characterization of Stenotrophomonas rhizophila T3E: A Multifunctional Rhizobacterium Enhancing Tomato Growth and Soil Health
Provisionally accepted
Xiancui Zhang1*
Haoran Liao1Peiwen Cai1
Tong Cai2Hongkai Si1Jinfeng Yuan1Yanan Yu1Mingxing Zhao1Peng Li1Xianduo Zhang1Lu Jiang1Liang Yang3,4*Choufei Wu1*- 1Huzhou University, Huzhou, China
- 2Shandong Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jinan, China
- 3Huzhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Huzhou, China
- 4Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) represent an eco-friendly alternative to chemical fertilizers and pesticides for sustainable crop production. In this study, we isolated and identified a strain of Stenotrophomonas rhizophila (T3E) from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) rhizosphere soil through morphological and phylogenetic analyses and investigated its growth-promoting potential. Inoculation with T3E significantly enhanced radicle length, primary root length, plant height, and seedling fresh weight, while quantitative assays revealed increased levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) in the roots. qRT-PCR analysis showed that T3E upregulated multiple root growth-related genes (e.g., EAT2, LAX2, GTS1, GRFs) and T3E colonization-related genes (pyrB, flmH, pilR, bopD), supporting its strong root colonization ability. Physiologically, T3E treatment enhanced SOD activity, increased glycine betaine and soluble sugar levels, and reduced MDA content, suggesting improved root health and stress resistance. Whole-genome sequencing revealed a 4.31 Mb circular chromosome with 3,744 coding sequences, diverse secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters, and abundant carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) genes. Soil assays demonstrated that T3E inoculation improved key physicochemical properties (TN, TP, TK, AK) and significantly enhanced the activities of soil enzymes, such as phosphatase, CAT, urease, and sucrase. Collectively, these findings highlight S. rhizophila T3E as a promising PGPR with multiple growth-promoting traits, strong rhizosphere colonization, and beneficial effects on soil fertility. This study provides theoretical and practical insights for the development of microbial biofertilizers and sustainable agricultural applications.
Keywords: Stenotrophomonas rhizophila, PGPR, Tomato, colonization, soil fertility
Received: 26 Aug 2025; Accepted: 09 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Liao, Cai, Cai, Si, Yuan, Yu, Zhao, Li, Zhang, Jiang, Yang and Wu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Xiancui Zhang, xczhang525j@zju.edu.cn
Liang Yang, l_yang@zju.edu.cn
Choufei Wu, 02407@zjhu.edu.cn
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