Mixed Consortium of Salt-Tolerant Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria Improves Maize (Zea mays) Plant Growth and Soil Health Under Saline Conditions

Bacillus subtilis ER-08, a multifunctional plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium, promotes the growth of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) plants under salt and drought stress

“…The ACC deaminase enzyme produced by PGPR provides protection to plants from the harmful impacts of ethylene under abiotic stress (Glick, 2014 ). Some PGPRs are able to produce EPS to defend themselves and their host plants against environmental variations and other abiotic stress factors such as salinity and drought (Upadhyay et al, 2011 ; Morcillo and Manzanera, 2021 ; Chauhan and Upadhyay, 2023 ). Moreover, PGPR lessens the influence of drought stress by modulating stress-responsive genes, changing root structure, increasing ACC deaminase enzyme activity, generating phytohormones, siderophores, osmolytes, exopolysaccharides, and volatile organic compounds (Ahmad et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Plants might be able to withstand a variety of stresses due to the capacity of PGPRs to trigger stress-adaptive biochemical and physiological stimuli (Hernández-Canseco et al, 2023 ; Kumawat et al, 2023 ). PGPR can have a direct or indirect impact on the growth and development of the plant (Chauhan and Upadhyay, 2023 ). A few of these processes include phytohormone biosynthesis, increased mineral nutrient solubilization, osmotic adjustment by reduced transpiration, activation of the antioxidant enzymes, nitrogen fixation, suppression of pathogens by siderophore development, antibiosis, and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) production (Islam et al, 2016 ; Ma et al, 2020 ; Patel et al, 2023 ; Ramasamy and Mahawar, 2023 ).…”