Heat-Tolerant Rice Endophytes

How can rice production remain resilient as global temperatures continue to rise?

Promoting Plant Growth Under Heat Stress explores the potential of beneficial bacteria living naturally inside rice plants to support growth, heat tolerance, and grain production. Based on experimental research involving Taiwan Tainan No. 11 rice, this book presents a practical biological approach to one of agriculture’s most urgent challenges: maintaining crop productivity under increasingly severe heat stress.

From 127 thermotolerant bacterial endophytes, five promising Bacillus strains were selected and evaluated through laboratory and growth-chamber experiments. The study examines their effects on seedling development, plant biomass, stress-related physiological responses, and grain yield under normal and elevated temperatures.

Readers will discover how selected bacterial endophytes:

• improved rice shoot and root growth under heat stress
• supported plant development when combined with half the recommended fertilizer dose
• enhanced panicle formation and grain production
• influenced important stress-response indicators, including proline, malondialdehyde, salicylic acid, and abscisic acid
• demonstrated potential for reducing fertilizer dependence while strengthening crop resilience

Among the tested strains, Bacillus paralicheniformis AS9 showed particularly promising effects on rice growth and yield under elevated temperatures.

Bringing together plant science, microbiology, sustainable agriculture, and climate adaptation, this book offers valuable insights for researchers, students, agronomists, environmental scientists, and anyone interested in nature-based strategies for climate-resilient food production.