1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase synthesizing rhizobacteria isolation and evaluation of its effect on alleviating salinity and drought stress in plants

Soil salinization, the second leading cause of desertification and land degradation, is one of the major threats being faced by the crop production sector. With about 20% of Agricultural fields worldwide being prone to osmotic as well as ionic stress, the need to salvage lost agricultural fields due to salinity becomes germane. An eco-friendly means of achieving the aforesaid aim is through the utilisation of Plant-Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR). Through the synthesis and release of various compounds, PGPR regulate soil physicochemical characteristics and plant growth. This research is aimed at the isolation of multi-trait halotolerant PGPR from a hypersaline environment as well as evaluating the ability of the PGPR in mitigating the effect of salinity on Triticum aestivum. From the rhizosphere of halotolerant plants, 10 bacterial isolates were isolated. A randomized block design bioassay comprising of 11 treatments (10 bacterial isolates and control) and 4 salt (0 mM, 100mM, 200 mM and 300 mM) concentrations was conducted to assess salinity stress mitigating ability of the isolates. Though the isolates exhibited an array of plant-growth promoting traits, the effect of salinity stress on T. aestivum seedlings had been partially alleviated via inoculating the seedlings with the isolates.