Microbes in Saline Environments and Their Potential Applications in Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

This review paper aims to summarize aspects related to the biotechnological potential of halophile and halotolerant microbes in the sustainable management of agricultural practices. During the past few years, different microorganisms have been isolated from saline environments (including in Romania) and characterized for the discovery of new species and their potential use in industrial applications. This paper presents a brief literature review, conducted using various open access scientific databases using keywords such as halophilic bacteria/bioinoculants, saline soils, halotolerant ecology, novel halophiles, plant growth-promoting halophiles, salinity stress, salt-tolerant microbes, etc.

Growth and production of three wetland rice varieties on saline leached land with microbial consortium application

“…Saline land is suboptimal land that can inhibit and disrupt crop growth and production which is increasing in area and it assumption that 50% of the soil is affected by salinity in the next 50 years [1][2][3][4][5]. Plants are affected by salinity as a complex interaction between morphological and biochemical and physiological processes including seed germination, plant growth, and nutrient carryng [2][3].…”

“…Plants are affected by salinity as a complex interaction between morphological and biochemical and physiological processes including seed germination, plant growth, and nutrient carryng [2][3]. The occurrence causes of osmotic and ionic pressure, an imbalance in the nutrient stability needed by plants, high electrical conductivity, and disrupting plant metabolic processes [2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. However, this saline land has great potential to support increased crop production such as rice.…”

“…These rhizoplane, rhizosphere, and endophytic bacteria with diverse mechanisms such as abnormal osmotic responses, providing hormones and nutrient uptake, act as bioindicator agents and inducing plant genetic. Beneficial microbes can grow in saline conditions by reducing electrical conductivity, helping to fix N, dissolve P and K, and produce hormones that help of the plant growth process [4], organic matter decomposition [20]. Microbes that can adapt to saline land include halophilic bacteria such as Azospirillum, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Streptomyces, Rhizobium, Serratia, Alcaligenes, Bacillus, Thiobacillus, Clostridium, and Azotobacter [20][21][22][23].…”