Effect of PGPR on growth promotion of rice (Oryza sativa L.) under salt stress

Large areas of the world are not usable from the agricultural perspective due to the constraints posed by nature and human activities making the soil less or unproductive. Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress worldwide. The development of salt-tolerant crops is not always an economical approach for sustainable agriculture, whereas microbial inoculation to alleviate salt stress is a better option because it minimizes production costs and environmental hazards. Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) have been indicated as efficient growth enhancer of crop plants and the growth promoting effect under stress conditions has also been suggested to be beneficial for crop production. In this study two rice genotypes ADT43 and IR50 treated with PGPR (Pseudomonas strains PF1 and TDK1) were subjected to 100mM NaCl, following IRRI method under laboratory environment. The salt stress symptoms included stunted growth, poor root growth and the leaves from the tip turned to white. The results of the experiment indicated that the plant height, root length, dry weight of shoot and root were significantly increased due to Pseudomonas strain treatment even under salt stress whereas the plants grown without any treatment had less growth. ADT43 genotype treated with Pseudomonas strain TDK1 recorded better plant development under salt stress.

Author(s): CN Chandrasekhar and Sumita Sen*

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