This study examined the impact of two bacterial strains, H05E-12 and H05R- 04, on alleviating non-irrigation-induced stress and its subsequent effects on the fruit productivity of sweet pumpkin plants. When subjected to non-irrigation-induced stress, the lipid peroxidation, proline, total phenol, and total soluble sugar content significantly decreased in plants treated with either H05E-12 or H05R-04 compared to the control. In a greenhouse experiment under non-irrigated conditions, H05E-12-treated plants exhibited higher stomatal conductance than the control, although there was no significant change in the soil plant analysis development (SPAD) value due to treatment. Upon re-watering, an increase in fruit diameter was observed in H05E-12-treated plants, and the L-ascorbic acid content in the fruit also showed a significant increase compared to the control. The H05E-12 strain was identified as Kushneria konosiri. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report detailing the beneficial effects of K. konosiri on the alleviation of non-irrigation-induced stress and the promotion of plant growth in sweet pumpkin plants.

Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is one of the plasticizers used in the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) industry. It is known to be easily released into the environment. In this study, we investigated effects of DEHP on growth, metabolic pathway, and virulence gene expression in soil-borne bacterial plant pathogen, Pectobacterium carotovorum SCC1 using in vitro assays. As a result, DEHP at 20 μg mL-1 did not affect the growth, cell membrane permeability, or ATPase activity of P. carotovorum SCC1. However, it decreased succinyl-CoA synthase (SCS) activity in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Relative expression levels of virulence genes encoding pectate lyase and pectin were differentially influenced by DEHP treatment. These results suggest that biological characteristics of P. carotovorum might be influenced by DEHP in soil.