Management of Salt Stress by Microbial Intervention in Tomato

In the last decade, the concept of introducing plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) for promotion of plant growth under environmental stress conditions has gained importance. However, the ability of inoculated bacteria to survive, outcompete with the native microflora, and colonize in the rhizosphere remains to be the challenge for successful application especially in saline soil since high salinity could influence the survival, growth and activity of microorganisms. The salt-tolerant bacteria could thus be advantageous over others to thrive in a new saline environment in the sufficient numbers to deliver beneficial effects to plants. Although the performance of salt tolerant bacteria in promoting plant growth under various environmental stresses were reported immensely, little information is available on the effectiveness of salt-tolerant bacteria under high salinity. Therefore, in this study, attempts have been made to screen and select efficient salt-tolerant bacteria under salt-stressed conditions. Further, its effectiveness for growth promotion of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) var. Arka Rakshak under in vitro and saline conditions has also been evaluated.