Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Acta Physiologiae Plantarum (2021) 43:102 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-021-03273-7 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Cyanobacterium‑amended mixes as priming options for stimulating growth and improving nutrient availability in nursery‑grown Chrysanthemum rooted stem cuttings Asha Bharti 1  · Radha Prasanna 1  · V. S. Raju Dantuluri 2  · Gautam Chawla 3  · Yashbir Singh Shivay 4  · Lata Nain 1 Received: 5 May 2020 / Revised: 16 September 2020 / Accepted: 5 June 2021 / Published online: 12 June 2021 © Franciszek Górski Institute of Plant Physiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków 2021 Abstract The development of suitable nutrient media for high-value foricultural nurseries assumes great signifcance. In the present investigation, the cuttings of two Chrysanthemum varieties (Pusa Aditya and Jaya) were grown in cyanobacterium-amended mixes (sand or rooting mix comprising cocopeat, vermiculite, and perlite in 3:1:1). Three cyanobacterial cultures—BF1 (Anabaena torulosa), BF4 (Anabaena doliolum) and RPAN8 (Anabaena laxa) were used to amend individually, and analyses undertaken after 30 days were compared with the indole butyric acid (IBA) treated control cuttings. Chrysanthemum cuttings grown in Anabaena laxa amended rooting mix brought about 30–40% enhancement in the concentrations of indole acetic acid (IAA) in the root tissues. Plant growth and biometrical parameters showed one-two fold enhancement in root volume, dry biomass of root and shoot tissues. Available nitrogen and micronutrients were enriched by 50–70% in the cyanobacterium amended mixes of both varieties. A signifcant and positive correlation was recorded between dehydrogenase activity, root bioflm formation ability of cyanobacteria with plant growth, and elicited plant enzyme activities. Scanning microscopic analyses illustrated efective colonisation by the inoculated cyanobacterium. Anabaena torulosa and Anabaena laxa per- formed best with Pusa Aditya and Jaya respectively. Pusa Aditya responded better to cyanobacterial cultures as compared to Jaya, in terms of overall performances based on biochemical and biometric analyses. Tripartite interactions among inocu- lants, medium and plant variety revealed signifcant efects. Such amended mixes can be integrated into nursery management practices of foricultural crops as an option, to generate more robust and healthy plants, with a reduced dosage of chemicals. Keywords Anabaena · IAA · Micronutrients · Microscopy · Soil-less media Introduction At every stage of plant development from germination, ini- tiation of root/shoot to plant maturity, microbes are known to afect plant development through nutrient mobilisation, moisture retention, biocontrol and related processes (Lee et al. 2014; Olanrewaju et al. 2017). Microbial priming of plants and modulation of rhizosphere activities, through col- onisation and production of a large number of metabolites by these inoculants, is a much-investigated area of research (Berendsen et al. 2012; Brilli et al. 2019). These ubiqui- tous prokaryotes interact actively with micro/macro-faunal communities in diferent environments and produce several high and low-value metabolites of agricultural and industrial signifcance (Berdy 2005). Cyanobacteria are phototrophic plant growth-promoting bacteria that survive in nutrient lim- iting conditions through CO 2 fxation and bioflm formation, creating conducive environment not only for surrounding Communicated by M. Horbowicz. * Radha Prasanna radhapr@gmail.com 1 Division of Microbiology, ICAR - Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India 2 Division of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, ICAR - Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India 3 Division of Nematology, ICAR - Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India 4 Division of Agronomy, ICAR - Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India