Isolation and assessment of halophilic rhizobacteria plant growth-promoting traits for alleviating salt stress in wheat

In this study, 22 halophilic bacteria were isolated from plants collected together with rhizosphere soil from habitats with high salt content in and around Erzurum. Various plant growth -promoting (PGP) properties of these isolates (nitrogen fixing, phosphate solubilizing, ACC deaminase, and IAA and siderephore production) were determined. Bacteria positive for PGP properties and various combinations with these bacteria were subjected to pot experiments in saline medium (greenhouse conditions) and their effects on growth parameters (root and stem length, fresh and dry weight, protein, and chlorophyll and carotenoid content) of wheat plants were determined. As a result of the research, the isolates were evaluated as successful isolates 5%-41% yield increase in root length, 3.82%-54.97% in stem length, 7.14%-60.71% in wet weight, 5%-32.5% in dry weight, 13.78%-29.68% in dissolved protein content, 83.40%-120.22% in total chlorophyll content, and 45.79%-120.22% in total carotenoid content. 16S rRNA analysis showed that these 22 halophilic bacterial strains belonged to 11 different bacterial species (Bacillus pumilus , Bacillus endophyticus , Paenobacillus lautus , Planococcus citreus , Staphylococcus sciuri , Staphylococcus saprophyticus , Leucobacter iarius , Sphingomonas echinoides , Bacillus simplex , Bacillus cereus , Pantoea aggloremans). All isolates obtained in this study are new and original isolates. Inoculations with the isolates found in our study were much more effective and provided significant yield increases on wheat plants under saline irrigation compared to previous studies. These results conclude that the obtained isolates promote plant growth under saline conditions and have biofertilizer potential for wheat plants under saline conditions.