Role of Novel Chlorella vulgaris SSAU8 in Improving the Soil Health Under Induced Drought Stress.

Abstract

The severe climate change has caused a drastic water level disparity around the globe, which eventually has been one of the biggest problems of this era related to land degradation. This has caused the multidimensional impact on ecology, the environment, and their components. Algae, one of the ancient micro-engineers, are involved in the functioning of soil microcosm. Therefore, this study has utilized a novel alga, Chlorella vulgaris SSAU8 to observe the impact of low water potential induced by PEG-6000 (polyethylene glycol). The study has utilized the UV-Vis spectrophotometer to explore the nature of cyanobacteria by examining biomass and pigment concentrations. The assessment also includes the photosystem response, which was recorded by the Dual-modulation kinetic fluorometer FL3500/F (PSI, Brno, Czech Republic, version 3.7.0.1). The effect of PEG-6000-induced drought was seen to inhibit growth and biomass synthesis at > 30 g L^-1 concentration. It was also observed that the microbe could easily shuffle its photosystem behavior to nullify the effect of high PEG-6000 concentration, which shows the potential of the microbe in the water-deficient area and can be an important aspect to enhance soil fertility. Non-photochemical quenching and heat dissipation play a crucial role in cyanobacteria tolerating drought conditions. So, overall, this study thoroughly explores the behavior of Chlorella vulgaris SSAU8 in artificial drought stress and paves a way to combat one of the major environmental issues of the current era.