Working in plant-microbe interactions to understand the complex interaction between soil, microbes and plants. The group is working on the importance of rhizosphere-competent plant growth-promoting microbes for enhancing plant productivity and soil fertility. By combining fundamental genomic and ecological research perspectives, significant contributions were made in this critical domain not only from the standpoint of basic science to understand the role of plant-associated bacteria in determining plant gene function but also from the angle of commercial exploitation of the leads obtained through development of products and associated technologies for enhanced crop yield under abiotic and biotic stresses.

• Current R&D activities of the lab include:


• Screening and characterization of microbes with plant growth-promoting attributes


• Physiological and molecular mechanisms of microbes involved in plant growth promotion


• Signalling among microbes and plants


• Nutrient management in soil and plants through microbes


• Microbial ecology of agricultural soils


• Microbes mediated stress ameliorating plant gene(s), protein(s) and metabolite(s) during their interaction


• Decipher the mechanism of microbial endophytes-mediated induction in secondary metabolite production, stress tolerance and growth promotion.


• Development of microbes based biostimulants and biopesticides

Shivhare R, Semwal P, Mishra SK, Chauhan PS. 2024. Pseudomonas putida facilitates pearl millet growth in cold environments and alleviates drought stress by modulating phytohormone, antioxidant, and secondary metabolite pathways. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-024-11384-x

Joshi H, Tiwari S, Berendzen K, Mishra SK, Prasad V, Harter K, Chauhan PS 2024 Novel nucleus-localized GRAM protein encoding OsGRAM57 gene enhances salt tolerance through ABA-dependent pathway and modulated carbohydrate metabolism. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 132683

Ansari MM, Bisht N, Singh T, Chauhan PS 2024 Symphony of survival: Insights into cross-talk mechanisms in plants, bacteria, and fungi for strengthening plant immune responses. Microbiological Research 127762

Umrao V, Yadav S, Semwal P, Misra S, Mishra SK, Chauhan PS, Shirke PA. 2024. Endophytic bacilli from Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub. induces plant growth and drought tolerance. International Microbiology https://doi.org/10.1007/s10123-024-00499-6

Singh T, Bisht N, Ansari MM, Mishra SK, Chauhan PS. 2024 Paenibacillus lentimorbus alleviates nutrient deficiency-induced stress in Zea mays by modulating root system architecture, auxin signaling, and metabolic pathways. Plant Cell Reports 43: 49

Bhowmick S, Rai G, Mishra SK, Bisht N, Chauhan PS. 2024. Bio-stimulants from medicinally and nutritionally significant plant extracts mitigate drought adversities in Zea mays through enhanced physiological, biochemical, and antioxidant activities. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 207: 108396

Bisht N, Singh T, Ansari MM, Bhowmick S, Rai G, Chauhan PS. 2024. Synergistic eco-physiological response of biochar and Paenibacillus lentimorbus application on chickpea growth and soil under drought stress. Journal of Cleaner Production 438: 140822

Singh T, Bisht N, Ansari MM, Chauhan PS. 2024. The hidden harmony: Exploring ROS-phytohormone nexus for shaping plant root architecture in response to environmental cues. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 206: 108273

Kar S, Mishra SK, Misra S, Agarwal R, Kumar S, Chauhan PS. 2024. Endophytic alkalo-tolerant plant growth-promoting bacteria render maize (Zea mays L.) growth under alkaline stress. Current Microbiology 81: 43

Misra S, Semwal P, Pandey DD, Mishra SK, Chauhan PS. 2023. Siderophore-producing Spinacia oleracea bacterial endophytes enhance nutrient status and vegetative growth under iron-deficit conditions. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation 10.1007/s00344-023-11185-8.

Majhi B, Semwal P, Mishra SK, Misra S, Chauhan PS. 2023. Arsenic stress management through arsenite and arsenate-tolerant growth-promoting bacteria in rice. International Microbiology DOI: 10.1007/s10123-023-00447-w.

Bisht N, Anshu A, Singh PC, Chauhan PS. 2023. Comprehensive analysis of OsJAZ gene family deciphers rhizobacteria-mediated nutrient stress modulation in rice. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 253: 126832

Semwal P, Misra S, Misra S, Kar S, Majhi B, Mishra SK, Srivastava S, Chauhan PS. 2023. Endophytic Bacillus strains enhance biomass and bioactive metabolites of Gloriosa superba. Industrial Crops and Products 204: 117296

Mishra SK, Misra S, Dixit VK, Kar S, Chauhan PS. 2023. Ochrobactrum sp. NBRISH6 inoculation enhances Zea mays productivity, mitigating soil alkalinity and plant immune response. Current Microbiology80: 328

Deka Boruah HP, Chauhan PS, Acharya C. 2023. Editorial: Trends of microbial technologies in rehabilitation of contaminated environments. Frontiers in Microbiology 14:1268002.

Joshi H, Bisht N, Mishra SK, Prasad V, Chauhan PS. 2023. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens modulate carbohydrate metabolism in host-PGPR cross-talk under abiotic stress and phytohormone treatments. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation 42: 4466–4483

Dixit R, Bisht N, Misra S, Gupta SC, Chauhan PS. 2023. Bacillus consortia modulate transcriptional and metabolic machinery of arabidopsis plants for salt tolerance. Current Microbiology 80: 77

Joshi H, Mishra SK, Prasad V, Chauhan PS. 2023. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens modulate sugar metabolism to mitigate arsenic toxicity in Oryza sativa L. var Saryu-52. Chemosphere 137070

Gupta S, Misra S, Kumar M, Mishra SK, Tiwari S, Narayan S, Agrawal L, Chauhan PS. 2022. Enhancement of drought tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants overexpressing chickpea Ca14-3-3 gene. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation 42: 1544–1557.

Singh A, Chauhan PS. 2022. N-acyl homoserine lactone mediated quorum sensing exhibiting plant growth-promoting and abiotic stress tolerant bacteria demonstrates drought stress amelioration. Journal of Pure and Applied Microbiology 16(1):669-684

Dixit R, Agarwal L, Srivastava S, Chauhan PS. 2021. Paenibacillus lentimorbus enhanced abiotic stress tolerance through lateral root formation and phytohormone regulation. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation. 41: 2198–2209

Srivastava A, Chauhan PS, Singh R. 2021. Effect of silver nanoparticles on the growth and development of Indian Brassica and Cicer arietinum. Research Journal of Biotechnology 16 (5): 94-102

Tiwari S, Gupta SC, Chauhan PS, Lata C. 2021. An OsNAM gene plays important role in root rhizobacteria interaction in transgenic Arabidopsis through abiotic stress and phytohormone crosstalk. Plant Cell Reports, 1-13

Tiwari P, Srivastava D, Chauhan AS, Indoliya Y, Singh PK, Tiwari S, Fatima T, Mishra SK, Dwivedi S, Agarwal L, Singh PC, Asif MH, Tripathi RD, Shirke PA, Chakrabarty D, Chauhan PS, Nautiyal CS. 2021. Root system architecture, physiological analysis and dynamic transcriptomics unravel the drought-responsive traits in rice genotypes. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 207, 111252

Dixit VK, Misra S, Mishra SK, Tewari SK, Joshi N, Chauhan PS. 2020. Characterization of plant growth-promoting alkalotolerant Alcaligenes and Bacillus strains for mitigating the alkaline stress in Zea mays. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 113:889–905

Gupta S, Mishra SK, Misra S, Pandey V, Agrawal L, Nautiyal CS, Chauhan PS. 2020. Revealing the complexity of protein abundance in chickpea root under drought-stress using a comparative proteomics approach. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 151: 88-102

Mishra SK, Khana MH, Misra S, Dixit VK, Gupta S, Tiwari S, Gupta SC, Chauhan PS. 2020. Drought tolerant Ochrobactrum sp. inoculation performs multiple roles in maintaining the homeostasis in Zea mays L. subjected to deficit water stress. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 150: 1-14

Misra S, Chauhan PS. 2020. ACC deaminase‑producing rhizosphere competent Bacillus spp. mitigate salt stress and promote Zea mays growth by modulating ethylene metabolism. 3 Biotech 10:119

Bisht N, Chauhan PS. 2020. Comparing the growth-promoting potential of Paenibacillus lentimorbus and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens in Oryza sativa L. var. Sarju-52 under suboptimal nutrient conditions. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry.146: 187-197

Pandey S, Phulara SC, Mishra SK, Bajpai R, Kumar A, Niranjan A, Lehri A, Upreti DK, Chauhan PS. 2020. Betula utilis extract prolongs life expectancy, protects against amyloid-β toxicity and reduces Alpha Synuclien in Caenorhabditis elegans via DAF-16 and SKN-1. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology 228: 108647

Bisht N, Mishra SK, Chauhan PS. 2020. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens inoculation alters physiology of rice (Oryza sativa L. var. IR-36) through modulating carbohydrate metabolism to mitigate stress induced by nutrient starvation. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 143: 937-951

Microbial Technologies Division,
CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute
Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow – 226 001, (U.P.) INDIA
E-mail: puneet@nbri.res.in