What does the published scientific research say about Bacillus macerans?

Eight PubMed records reference Bacillus macerans — reclassified and now widely indexed as Paenibacillus macerans — in plant-input contexts. Phylogenetic research places P. macerans within a nitrogen-fixing rhizosphere cluster of bacilli; nitrogen-fixation capacity is documented via acetylene-reduction activity and nifH gene sequencing from isolates recovered in wheat and maize rhizospheres.

Peer-reviewed research reports plant-growth-promoting activity across several systems. Two greenhouse-tested P. macerans strains increased orchid seedling biomass and leaf count while producing detectable indole levels. The literature also lists P. macerans among rhizobacteria antagonistic to Ralstonia solanacearum, the agent of bacterial wilt in Solanaceous crops, with cited mechanisms including competition for nutrients, siderophore production, and extracellular cell-wall-degrading enzyme activity. Two fly-ash phytoremediation studies report that P. macerans in bacterial consortia significantly enhanced heavy-metal uptake (Pb, Ni, Zn, Cr, Cd) in Brassica juncea and Typha latifolia, an effect the authors attribute to N₂ fixation, phosphorus solubilization, and phytohormone synthesis.