Abiotic stresses are major constraints for plant growth, crop yield and global food security. Plant physiological, biochemical and molecular processes are highly affected under unfavorable environmental conditions, resulting in substantial losses to crop productivity and requiring an immediate response. Abiotic stress resistant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are a profitable and sustainable solution because of their efficiency in plant growth regulation, crop yield improvement and abiotic stress alleviation. They help plants to cope with growth inhibitory effects of abiotic stresses through several mechanisms, mainly phytohormones and osmolyte production, improvement of nutrient acquisition, enhancement of antioxidant system. Plant-PGPR interactions are vital for sustainable agriculture and industrial purposes, because they are based on biological processes and replace conventional agricultural practices. PGPR may play a key role as an ecological engineer to solve environmental stress problems. The use of microbes is a feasible and potential technology to help meeting the future global food needs with reduced impact on soil and environmental quality. Present review deals about the abiotic stresses (drought and salinity) affecting plant growth and highlights the impact of PGPR on restoration of plant growth under the stressful conditions with the goal of developing an eco-friendly and cost-effective strategy for agricultural sustainability.

(1) Background: Increasing salinity, further potentiated by climate change and soil degradation, will jeopardize food security even more. Therefore, there is an urgent need for sustainable agricultural practices capable of maintaining high crop yields despite adverse conditions. Here, we tested if wheat, a salt-sensitive crop, could be a good reservoir for halotolerant bacteria with plant growth-promoting (PGP) capabilities. (2) Methods: We used two agricultural soils from Algeria, which differ in salinity but are both used to grow wheat. Soil halotolerant bacterial strains were isolated and screened for 12 PGP traits related to phytohormone production, improved nitrogen and phosphorus availability, nutrient cycling, and plant defence. The four ‘most promising’ halotolerant PGPB strains were tested hydroponically on wheat by measuring their effect on germination, survival, and biomass along a salinity gradient. (3) Results: Two halotolerant bacterial strains with PGP traits were isolated from the non-saline soil and were identified as Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas fluorescens, and another two halotolerant bacterial strains with PGP traits were isolated from the saline soil and identified as B. megaterium. When grown under 250 mM of NaCl, only the inoculated wheat seedlings survived. The halotolerant bacterial strain that displayed all 12 PGP traits and promoted seed germination and plant growth the most was one of the B. megaterium strains isolated from the saline soil. Although they both belonged to the B. megaterium clade and displayed a remarkable halotolerance, the two bacterial strains isolated from the saline soil differed in two PGP traits and had different effects on plant performance, which clearly shows that PGP potential is not phylogenetically determined. (4) Conclusions: Our data highlight that salt-sensitive plants and non-saline soils can be reservoirs for halotolerant microbes with the potential to become effective and sustainable strategies to improve plant tolerance to salinity. However, these strains need to be tested under field conditions and with more crops before being considered biofertilizer candidates.