Halotolerant-<em>Koccuria rhizophila</em> (14asp)-Induced Amendment of Salt Stress in Pea Plants by Limiting Na<sup>+</sup> Uptake and Elevating Production of Antioxidants
Amir Abdullah Khan,
Tongtong Wang,
Tayyaba Hussain,
Amna,
Fayaz Ali,
Fuchen Shi,
Arafat Abdel Hamed Abdel Latef,
Omar M. Ali,
Kashif Hayat,
Shehzad Mehmood,
Nida Zainab,
Muhammad Atif Muneer,
Muhammad Farooq Hussain Munis,
Mona H. Soliman,
Hassan Javed Chaudhary
Affiliations
Amir Abdullah Khan
Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
Tongtong Wang
Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
Tayyaba Hussain
Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
Amna
Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
Fayaz Ali
Department of Botany, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Sheringal Dir Upper 18050, Pakistan
Fuchen Shi
Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
Arafat Abdel Hamed Abdel Latef
Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt
Omar M. Ali
Department of Chemistry, Turabah University College, Turabah Branch, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Kashif Hayat
School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Shehzad Mehmood
Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
Nida Zainab
Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
Muhammad Atif Muneer
College of Resources and Environment/International Magnesium Institute, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Muhammad Farooq Hussain Munis
Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
Mona H. Soliman
Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt
Hassan Javed Chaudhary
Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
Endophytic bacteria are useful for their safe services in plant growth improvement and for ameliorating abiotic and biotic stresses. Salt-tolerant plant-growth-promoting Kocuria rhizophila 14asp (accession number KF 875448) was investigated for its role in pea plants under a saline environment. Salt stress (75 mM and 150 mM NaCl) was subjected to two pea varieties, peas2009 and 9800-10, in a greenhouse under a complete randomized design. Different parameters such as plant growth promotion, relative water content, chlorophyll, antioxidants, and mineral contents were analyzed to elucidate the extent of tolerance persuaded by PGPB (plant-growth-promoting bacteria). Exhibition of adverse effects was noticed in uninoculated varieties. However, inoculation of K. rhizophila improved the morphological parameters, antioxidant enzymes, and minimized the uptake of Na+ in plants under various saline regimes. Pea variety 9800-10 exhibited more tolerance than peas2009 in all traits, such as root and shoot length, fresh and dry biomass, chlorophyll contents, and antioxidant enzymes. Our results showed that halotolerant K. rhizophila inoculation plays a vital role in enhancing plant growth by interacting ingeniously with plants through antioxidant systems, enduring saline conditions.