**Rhizobacteria Isolated from Saline Soil Induce Systemic Tolerance in Wheat (***Triticum aestivum* **L.) against Salinity Stress**

**Noshin Ilyas 1,\* , Roomina Mazhar 1, Humaira Yasmin 2, Wajiha Khan <sup>3</sup> , Sumera Iqbal <sup>4</sup> , Hesham El Enshasy 5,6,7,\* and Daniel Joe Dailin 5,6**


Received: 8 June 2020; Accepted: 23 June 2020; Published: 10 July 2020

**Abstract:** Halo-tolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have the inherent potential to cope up with salinity. Thus, they can be used as an effective strategy in enhancing the productivity of saline agro-systems. In this study, a total of 50 isolates were screened from the rhizospheric soil of plants growing in the salt range of Pakistan. Out of these, four isolates were selected based on their salinity tolerance and plant growth promotion characters. These isolates (SR1. SR2, SR3, and SR4) were identified as *Bacillus* sp. (KF719179), *Azospirillum brasilense* (KJ194586), *Azospirillum lipoferum* (KJ434039), and *Pseudomonas stutzeri* (KJ685889) by 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. In vitro, these strains, in alone and in a consortium, showed better production of compatible solute and phytohormones, including indole acetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid (GA), cytokinin (CK), and abscisic acid (ABA), in culture conditions under salt stress. When tested for inoculation, the consortium of all four strains showed the best results in terms of improved plant biomass and relative water content. Consortium-inoculated wheat plants showed tolerance by reduced electrolyte leakage and increased production of chlorophyll a, b, and total chlorophyll, and osmolytes, including soluble sugar, proline, amino acids, and antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase), upon exposure to salinity stress (150 mM NaCl). In conclusion, plant growth-promoting bacteria, isolated from salt-affected regions, have strong potential to mitigate the deleterious effects of salt stress in wheat crop, when inoculated. Therefore, this consortium can be used as potent inoculants for wheat crop under prevailing stress conditions.

**Keywords:** salinity; PGPR; wheat; compatible solutes; antioxidant enzymes
