Using Bioremediation to Reduce Groundwater Salinity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29244/jtcs.13.01.278-287Keywords:
Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, bioremediation, groundwater, Providencia rettgeriAbstract
A study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of microorganisms in reducing groundwater salinity and to identify the most effective organisms. A laboratory experiment was performed using a completely randomised block design with a factorial arrangement, with four treatments and three replicates, yielding 12 experimental units for the biological treatment of groundwater. This experiment included the sequential addition of microorganisms (control, Providencia rettgeri, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, and Rhizoctonia solani) to groundwater with a salinity of 13108 µS/cm, with continuous monitoring of changes in EC, pH, and other water chemical properties. Providencia rettgeri achieved the highest temperature on June 26th, reaching 29.0 °C, whereas the control treatment recorded a lower temperature on the same date. Meanwhile, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens outperformed the control, achieving the highest nitrogen content in the treated water at 1499 mg/L, compared with the control at 1372 mg/L. Rhizoctonia solani excelled by recording the lowest electrical conductivity and pH for the treated water on 6/25, at 11607 ds/cm and 6.73, respectively, compared to the control treatment, which recorded the opposite in both characteristics.
References
Al-budairy, Z. J., & Al-Taweel, L. S. (2025). Impact of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, white fungus waste, and nano fertilizer on pyrophosphatase activity, growth characteristics, and yield of stevia plant. Scientia Agropecuaria, 16(3), 359–373. https://doi.org/10.17268/sci.agropecu.2025.027
Al-Fatlawi, H. J., & Mahmood, R. T. (2025). Role of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens in promoting nutrient uptake and growth in saline soils. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 210, Article 105340.
Al-Hadawi, A. M. (2018). The role of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens in combating fungal diseases and stimulating plant growth [Master’s thesis, University of Baghdad]. University of Baghdad Institutional Repository.
Al-Obaidi, M. S. (2019). The effect of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens extracts on soil properties and wheat plant growth [Master’s thesis, University of Kufa]. University of Kufa Repository.
Al-Rawi, K. M., & Allah, K. A. M. (1980). Design and analysis of agricultural experiments. Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dar Al-Kutub for Printing and Publishing, University of Mosul.
American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association, & Water Environment Federation. (2017). Method 2340 C: Hardness by EDTA titration. In Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater (23rd ed.). American Public Health Association.
Chaudhary, D. K., Kim, J., & Kim, J. (2022). Complete genome analysis of a plant growth-promoting Providencia rettgeri strain: Functional insights and biosafety considerations. Microbiological Research, 258, Article 126997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2022.126997
Dewan, M. M. (1989). Isolation, identification, and pathogenicity of Rhizoctonia solani from diseased plants in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 21(2), 307–313.
El-Sayed, A., Kumar, R., & Al-Harbi, S. (2024). Bioremediation of groundwater salinity using native halotolerant bacteria: Field-scale applications. Environmental Journal Management, of 358, Article 120943. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120943
Fernández, A. B., & Ventosa, A. (2025). Haloarchaea in biotechnology: Applications in saline wastewater and groundwater treatment. Extremophiles, 29(1), 15–28.
Hossain, M. E., Shahrukh, S., & Hossain, S. A. (2022). Chemical fertilizers and pesticides: Impacts on soil degradation, groundwater, and human health in Bangladesh. In Environmental degradation: Challenges and strategies for mitigation (pp. 63–92). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94290-0_4
International Organization for Standardization. (2008). ISO 10523:2008—Water quality: Determination of pH. https://www.iso.org/standard/51994.html
Khan, R. A., Zhang, L., & Saleh, M. H. (2025). Enhancing drought tolerance in wheat through Bacillus amyloliquefaciens mediated modulation of root architecture. Frontiers in Plant Science, 16, Article 1149823.
Lee, G., Choi, H., Liu, H., Han, Y.-H., Paul, N. C, Han, G. H., Kim, H., Kim, P. I., Seo, S.-I., Song, J., & Sang, H. (2023). Biocontrol of the causal brown patch pathogen Rhizoctonia solani by Bacillus velezensis GH1-13 and development of a bacterial strain-specific detection method. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, Article 1091030. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.1091030
Mahadevaiah, C., Vignesh, P., Appunu, C., Valarmathi, R., Dhansu, P., Kumar, A., Dharshini, S., Padmanabhan, T. S. S., Narayan, J. A., Selvamuthu, K., Sreenivasa, V., Swamy, H. K. M., Vinu, V., Raja, A. K., Suresha, G. S., Hemaprabha, G., Kumar, R. (2023). Physiological characterization of Tripidium arundinaceum and sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) germplasm for salinity stress tolerance at the formative stage. Sustainability, 15(8), Article 6962. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086962
Patel, D., & Singh, P. (2024). Salinity adaptation mechanisms of Haloarchaea for sustainable bioremediation. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 108(5), Article 2071–2085.
Reddy, K. R., & Patrick, W. H., Jr. (1984). Nitrogen transformations and loss in flooded soils and sediments. CRC Critical Reviews in Environmental Control, 13(4), 273–309.
Rengasamy, P. (2010). Soil processes affecting crop production in salt-affected soils. Functional Plant Biology, 37(7), 613 620. https://doi.org/10.1071/FP09249
Rodríguez, H., & Fraga, R. (1999). Phosphate solubilizing bacteria and their role in plant growth promotion. Biotechnology Advances, 17(4–5), 319–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0734-9750(99)00014-2
Silva, A. M., & Torres, P. R. (2025). Comparative genomic analysis of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strains reveals genes responsible for plant growth promotion. Scientific Reports, 15, Article 23456.
Ullah, A., Nisar, M., Ali, H., Hazrat, A., Hayat, K., Keerio, A. A., & Yang, X. (2019). Drought tolerance improvement in plants: An endophytic bacterial approach. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 103, 7385–7397. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-019-10010-7
Wang, X., Li, J., & Zhang, Y. (2025). Advances in bioremediation strategies for saline groundwater: Microbial approaches and environmental implications. Science of the Total Environment, 934, Article 172003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172003
Wang, Y., El-Sayed, M., & Chen, X. (2025). Biocontrol potential of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens against soil-borne pathogens in tomato. Applied Soil Ecology, 190, Article 104632.
World Health Organization. (2017). Guidelines for drinking-water quality (4th ed., incorporating the first addendum). https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241549950
Xu, C., Hale, L., Xu, L., O’Hara, J., Fitzsimmons, S., Tomsho, L. P., & Xia, Q. (2021). Salinity impacts on microbial community structure and nutrient cycling. Applied Soil Ecology, 157, Article 103772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2020.103772
Yan, N., Marschner, P., Cao, W., Zuo, C., & Qin, W. (2015). Influence of salinity and water content on soil microorganisms. International Soil and Water Conservation Research, 3(4), 316–323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iswcr.2015.11.005
Zhao, Y., Chen, H., & Wang, Q. (2025). Microbial desalination cells for simultaneous desalination and bioremediation of saline groundwater. Water Research, 258, Article 121734.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
All publications by Journal of Tropical Crop Science is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
