The Application of endophytic halotolerant bacteria in modulating the development of maize seedlings under salinity

Abstract

Salinity stress has negative effects on plants physiologically as well as lowering productivity. Application of microbial inoculant as seed treatment is one of the bio-techniques that have proved to be efficient in enhancing salinity resilience in agriculture, especially for seedling development. This study aims to determine the effect of inoculation of halotolerant bacteria consortium on the development of maize seedlings under saline stress. The experiment used four different bacterial consortia namely B5 (two species of phosphate solubilizing bacteria); B6 (phosphate solubilizing bacteria, and ACC deaminase producing bacteria); B7 (phosphate solubilizing bacteria and nitrogen-fixing bacteria) and B9 (phosphate solubilizing bacteria, ACC deaminase producing bacteria and nitrogen-fixing bacteria). The salinity stress was conducted by adding NaCl with a concentration of 0, 50, 100, and 150 mM to the Hoagland nutrient solution as a germination medium. The inoculation bacteria increased the root length, root number, shoot length, fresh weight, and chlorophyll content of Pioneer maize seedling up to 25% at salinity stress treatment 150 mM NaCl. The highest increase in seedlings growth parameters was observed on seedlings inoculated by B5, B7, and B9 under a salinity treatment of 150 mM.