T HE MOST efficient phosphate solubilizing bacterial strain was isolated from rhizosphere of healthy rice plants and identified as Enterobacter cloacae (B1) based on morphological and biochemical characteristics and 16S r DNA. The optimum phosphate solubilization conditions for pH, temperature and incubation period were obtained at 8, 30 °C and 3 days, respectively. Accordingly, Enterobacter cloacae (B1) was evaluated under field conditions through its impact on growth and yield characteristics of wheat (Triticumaestivum L.) cultivar Masr 1 in comparison with chemical fertilizers (phosphoric acid,calcium super phosphate and NPK). Results of this study showed that, Enterobacter cloacae (B1) effectively increased growth characteristics including plant height (cm) (9.96 %), fresh weight (g/plant) (86.78 %), dry weight (g/plant) (58.36 %) and flag leaf area (cm 2 ) (53.68 %) and physiological characteristics including chlorophyll pigments content, chl. a, b and total (µg/cm 2 ) (31.91 %, 35.81 % and 33.33 %, respectively)as well as yield characteristics such as spike length(cm) (13.14 %), spikelets number (13.58 %), grains number/spike (23.16 %), 1000 kernels weight (g) (6.49 %), spike weight(g) (29.37 %), biological weight(g/m 2 ) (55.92 %) and grains weight(g/m 2 ) (41.18 %) in comparison with control treatment.

Iron is a vital element for plant and microbial growth; yet, the major portion of iron in soils is in the form of (oxi-)hydroxides with limited bioavailability, resulting in decreased crop yield quality. In response to iron deficiency, soil microorganisms produce siderophores that transform insoluble iron into a soluble form that plants and microorganisms can use. The abundance and activity of siderophore-producing bacteria (SPB) might be used as a biological assessment index for the fertility status of cultivated land. In order to achieve this goal, it is critical to investigate the influences of SPB on plant growth and soil quality. In this study, we performed a mixed-effect model meta-analysis on 342 research studies that compared plant growth with and without SPB. The findings revealed that SPB increased plant growth significantly (up to 30%). The stimulating effects on plants followed the sequences of pant weight, plant height, and germination rate.