Mitigating the effect of salinity stress through integrated application of ACC-deaminase containing rihizobacteria and biogas slurry to improve the productivity of wheat crop

Soil salinity is a devastating environmental stress for sustainable agriculture around the globe. To rescue plant growth, ACC deaminase containing PGPR provide the great potential against salinity stress in dry lands. Biogas slurry is an important contribution to soil fertility and better crop yields. For this, wheat seeds were inoculated with Alcaligenes faecalis, Bacillus cereus and Lysinibacillus fusiformis; and biogas slurry was applied at different salinity levels (4, 6 and 9 dS m^-1 EC) in soil. The 9 dS m^-1 salinity stress level adversely reduced the plant growth which reflects the NaCl toxicity. Rhizobacterial inoculation improved the shoot and root length up to 40 and 34 % with their respective control. When the wheat plants were exposed to salinity stress, the sodium (Na⁺) ions accumulation was significantly reduced in ACC-deaminase containing PGPRs-treated plants with respect to control, suggesting that the high level of tolerance to negative influences of Na⁺ ions concentration. Hence, biogas slurry with the PGPR strain Lysinibacillus fusiformis was the most effective combination for improving growth and yield of wheat under saline condition. In conclusion, combined use of biogas slurry and PGPR in agricultural is a sustainable strategy for the alleviation of salinity stress in wheat.