Effect of halotolerant endophytic bacteria isolated from Salicornia europea L. on the growth of fodder beet (Beta vulgaris L.) under salt stress.

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of selected halotolerant endophytic bacteria isolated from the roots of Salicornia europaea on the growth parameters of Beta vulgaris under different concentrations of salinity. Two endophytic strains were selected as inocula for the pot experiment: Pseudomonas sp. ISE-12 (B1) and Xanthomonadales sp. CSE-34 (B2). Surface-sterilised seeds were incubated in the bacterial inoculation suspensions before sowing and cultivated in a sterile mixture of sand and vermiculite (1:1). Six salinity treatments were taken into account: 0, 50, 100, 150, 200 and 300 mM NaCl. Inoculation of seeds with B1 and B2 positively affected germination percentage and germination index and shortened mean germination time, which led to a quickening of the growth stages of seedlings. After 42 days inoculated plants had, in general, a greater root length, higher dry biomass, lower tissue water content and lower specific leaf area compared with the control. While the positive effect of B2 bacteria was visible only at low salinity, strain B1 stimulated plant growth at higher salinities (200 and 300 mM NaCl). We suggest that the superior growth promotion observed for B1 may be related to the higher metabolic activity of these bacteria. © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.