Siderophore-producing bacteria isolated from soil can markedly improve maize growth in Alfisol, according to a brief report published in Annals of Microbiology on 20 August 2026. The study, led by Jing Wei, Liying Ren and Fangchun Liu, tested five siderophore-producing strains in pot experiments and found that all of them enhanced maize growth and nutrient uptake to varying degrees, with one strain standing out.
The most effective strain, designated CNRSB01, increased maize dry weight by 93.45% compared with uninoculated control plants.
Nutrient analysis showed that CNRSB01 raised the content of eight elements in maize tissue. Compared with the control, phosphorus increased by 27.33%, potassium by 45.60%, calcium by 15.78% and magnesium by 13.12%. Micronutrients also rose substantially: iron by 40.63%, manganese by 30.81%, copper by 31.39% and zinc by 38.23%.
The benefits extended beyond the plants themselves to the soil environment. In the CNRSB01 treatment, soil invertase activity increased by 39.12% and soil phosphatase activity by 29.04%.
The researchers also examined how the inoculants reshaped the soil bacterial community. Both the Simpson and Shannon diversity indices differed significantly from the control in the CRSB02 and CNRSB01 treatments, indicating that introducing siderophore-producing bacteria altered the diversity of the resident soil bacteria rather than leaving the community untouched.
Principal component analysis reinforced this picture. The CNRSB01 treatment showed the most divergent bacterial community composition among the treatments tested, meaning its overall community structure differed most strongly from the other pots. The authors suggest that siderophore-producing bacteria promote maize growth and nutrient uptake primarily by optimizing the soil microenvironment in this way.
The findings provide a theoretical reference for microbial applications aimed at enhancing crop growth, although the results come from controlled pot experiments rather than field trials, so performance under real farming conditions remains to be tested.
The study is an open access brief report, and the version published online is a peer-reviewed accepted manuscript that is citable and carries a permanent DOI, subject to further editorial edits before the final version of record appears. The work was carried out by Jing Wei and Liying Ren, who contributed equally, together with Fangchun Liu.
By improving the uptake of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and several micronutrients simultaneously, siderophore-producing strains such as CNRSB01 could offer a multi-nutrient approach to supporting maize growth in soils where nutrient availability is constrained, provided the effects observed in pots can be reproduced in the field.
Subject of Research: Effects of siderophore-producing bacteria on maize growth, nutrient uptake and soil microbiota in Alfisol soil
Article Title: Regulation of soil microbiota and maize growth by siderophore-producing bacteria in Alfisol
Article References: Wei, J., Ren, L., & Liu, F. (2026). Regulation of soil microbiota and maize growth by siderophore-producing bacteria in Alfisol. Annals of Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13213-026-01870-w
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1186/s13213-026-01870-w
Keywords: siderophore-producing bacteria, maize, Alfisol, PGPR, soil microbiota, nutrient uptake, soil enzymes, bacterial diversity, pot experiment, microbial inoculants, Regulation, soil
News Source: Alan Morgan. (October 30, 2026). Siderophore-producing bacteria boost maize growth and nutrient uptake in Alfisol. Scienmag.
