Abstract
This study aimed to isolate, characterize, and evaluate in vitro plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) from rhizosphere soils of the Private Conservation Area (ACP-Lomas Cerro Campana), an arid coastal ecosystem in northern Peru. Sampling was conducted on all three elevations of the area, and physicochemical analyses of the soil were performed. Two hundred and fifty bacteria were isolated, of which 12 showed PGPR potential through assays of diazotrophic activity, indole-3-acetic acid production, phosphate solubilization, siderophore synthesis, and antagonism against Fusarium oxysporum and Rhizoctonia sp. Molecular identification using the 16S rRNA gene determined that the bacteria belong to the genera Agrobacterium, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Atlantibacter, Mammaliicoccus, and Priestia. The results showed that the native rhizobacteria of the ACP-Lomas of Cerro Campana have biotechnological potential under water-stress conditions and a potential application for sustainable agriculture.
