Selection and characterization of salt-tolerant plant growth promoting bacteria associated with the endosphere and rhizosphere of perennial glasswort from the Apulia Region (Italy)

Soil salinization threatens global agricultural productivity, making halotolerant plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) crucial for sustainable farming in marginal areas. This study isolated and characterized PGPB from perennial glasswort ( Arthrocaulon macrostachyum ) collected at two sites in Margherita di Savoia, Apulia (Italy), during spring 2023. From rhizosphere and endosphere samples, 110 bacterial isolates (100 rhizobacteria, 10 endophytes) were obtained and characterized. Functional screening revealed: 18 isolates (16%) capable of phosphate solubilization, 25 isolates (23%) for silicon solubilization, 20 isolates (18%) producing indole acetic acid, 34 isolates (31%) producing siderophores, and 50 isolates (45%) demonstrating salt tolerance above 10% NaCl, with 28 isolates (25%) tolerating concentrations up to 17.5%. Using RAPD-PCR differentiation and Principal Component Analysis of PGPB traits, three promising halotolerant candidates were selected: Pseudomonas sp. (105S), Bacillus safensis (80S), and Peribacillus frigotolerans (114S), each exhibiting complementary plant growth promoting characteristics. These isolates represent valuable candidates for future field validation as biofertilizers in salt-affected agricultural systems.

• Publication year

  2026

• Venue

  Frontiers in Plant Science

• Publication date

  2026-03-05

• Fields of study

  Not labeled

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.3389/fpls.2026.1718440PMCID PMC12999581
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Nutritional Characterization of Annual and Perennial Glassworts from the Apulia Region (Italy)

  2025cited by this paper
• Enhancing Drought Tolerance in Salicornia ramosissima Through Biofertilization with Marine Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB)

  2025cited by this paper
• Plant growth promoting bacteria in the endo- and rhizosphere of halophyte Cakile maritima Scop.

  2025cited by this paper
• Evaluating the potential of different carrier materials to enhance the plant growth-promoting abilities of Bacillus safensis in Zea mays

  2025cited by this paper
• Halo-tolerant plant growth-promoting bacteria-mediated plant salt resistance and microbiome-based solutions for sustainable agriculture in saline soils

  2025cited by this paper
• Pseudomonas halotolerans sp. nov., a halotolerant biocontrol agent with plant-growth properties

  2025cited by this paper
• Synergistic potential of halophytes and halophilic/halotolerant plant growth-promoting bacteria in saline soil remediation: Adaptive mechanisms, challenges, and sustainable solutions.

  2025cited by this paper
• Genome-driven insights into Bacillus safensis strain B7 as a seed coating agent for plant growth promotion and alleviation of biotic and abiotic stresses

  2025cited by this paper
• Enhancing turnip cultivation with plant growth-promoting bacteria in organic fertilizer

  2025cited by this paper
• Whole-Genome Sequencing of Peribacillus frigoritolerans Strain d21.2 Isolated in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia

  2024cited by this paper
• Exploring the landscape of biofertilizers containing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in Iran: Progress and research prospects

  2024cited by this paper
• Salt-Tolerant Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (ST-PGPB): An Effective Strategy for Sustainable Food Production

  2024cited by this paper
• Plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere for smarter and more sustainable crop fertilization: the case of PGPR-based biofertilizers

  2024cited by this paper
• Salt-tolerant plant growth-promoting bacteria as a versatile tool for combating salt stress in crop plants

  2024cited by this paper
• Characterization and evaluation of potential halotolerant phosphate solubilizing bacteria from Salicornia fruticosa rhizosphere

  2024cited by this paper
• Plant growth–promoting rhizobacteria: Peribacillus frigoritolerans 2RO30 and Pseudomonas sivasensis 2RO45 for their effect on canola growth under controlled as well as natural conditions

  2024cited by this paper
• Reduced fertilization supplemented with Bacillus safensis RGM 2450 and Bacillus siamensis RGM 2529 promotes tomato production in a sustainable way

  2024cited by this paper
• Inoculation with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria improves seagrass Thalassia hemprichii photosynthesis performance and shifts rhizosphere microbiome.

  2023cited by this paper
• Potential Use of Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria to Enhance Growth and Soil Fertility in Marginal Areas: Focus on the Apulia Region, Italy

  2023cited by this paper
• Draft genome sequences of halotolerant Halomonas spp. SpR1 and SpR8, potential plant growth-promoting bacteria associated with Salicornia rhizosphere in a hydrothermal lagoon ecosystem of the Altiplano, Northern Chile

  2023cited by this paper
• Phosphorus

  2022cited by this paper
• Exploration of silicate solubilizing bacteria for sustainable agriculture and silicon biogeochemical cycle.

  2021cited by this paper
• An overview of the emerging trends of the Salicornia L. genus as a sustainable crop

  2021cited by this paper
• Rhizosphere bacteria community and functions under typical natural halophyte communities in North China salinized areas

  2021cited by this paper
• Pathogen Biocontrol Using Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPR): Role of Bacterial Diversity

  2021cited by this paper
• Drought-tolerant Bacillus megaterium isolated from semi-arid conditions induces systemic tolerance of wheat under drought conditions

  2021cited by this paper
• Soil Biogeochemical Cycle Couplings Inferred from a Function-Taxon Network

  2021cited by this paper
• Endophytic Bacterial Isolates From Halophytes Demonstrate Phytopathogen Biocontrol and Plant Growth Promotion Under High Salinity

  2021cited by this paper
• Rhizosphere Colonization Determinants by Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR)

  2021cited by this paper
• PGPR in Agriculture: A Sustainable Approach to Increasing Climate Change Resilience

  2021cited by this paper
• Image and fractal analysis as a tool for evaluating salinity growth response between two Salicornia europaea populations

  2020cited by this paper
• Salt-Tolerant Halophyte Rhizosphere Bacteria Stimulate Growth of Alfalfa in Salty Soil

  2019cited by this paper
• Glassworts: From Wild Salt Marsh Species to Sustainable Edible Crops

  2019cited by this paper
• Mining Halophytes for Plant Growth-Promoting Halotolerant Bacteria to Enhance the Salinity Tolerance of Non-halophytic Crops

  2018cited by this paper
• Bacterial Diversity Associated With the Rhizosphere and Endosphere of Two Halophytes: Glaux maritima and Salicornia europaea

  2018cited by this paper
• Enzymes Catalyzing the TCA- and Urea Cycle Influence the Matrix Composition of Biofilms Formed by Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300

  2018cited by this paper
• Revitalization of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria for sustainable development in agriculture.

  2018cited by this paper
• Halophytes: Potential Resources for Salt Stress Tolerance Genes and Promoters

  2017cited by this paper
• Plant beneficial rhizospheric microorganism (PBRM) strategies to improve nutrients use efficiency: A review

  2017cited by this paper
• Isolation and characterization of a novel silicate-solubilizing bacterial strain Burkholderia eburnea CS4-2 that promotes growth of japonica rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Dongjin)

  2017cited by this paper
• Comparison of Microbial Communities Associated with Halophyte (Salsola stocksii) and Non-Halophyte (Triticum aestivum) Using Culture-Independent Approaches

  2017cited by this paper
• Salicornia strobilacea (Synonym of Halocnemum strobilaceum) Grown under Different Tidal Regimes Selects Rhizosphere Bacteria Capable of Promoting Plant Growth

  2016cited by this paper
• Endophytic and rhizosphere bacteria associated with the roots of the halophyte Salicornia europaea L. - community structure and metabolic potential.

  2016cited by this paper
• Multifunctionality and diversity of culturable bacterial communities strictly associated with spores of the plant beneficial symbiont Rhizophagus intraradices.

  2016cited by this paper
• POPULATION DYNAMICS, DIVERSITY AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SOIL BACTERIA IN SOME SOUTH-EASTERN REGIONS OF THE SUNDARBANS, WEST BENGAL, INDIA

  2015cited by this paper
• Pantoea: insights into a highly versatile and diverse genus within the Enterobacteriaceae.

  2015cited by this paper
• GelJ – a tool for analyzing DNA fingerprint gel images

  2015cited by this paper
• Isolation of Fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. from Diverse Agro-Ecosystems of India and Characterization of their PGPR Traits

  2015cited by this paper
• Beneficial effects of silicon on salt and drought tolerance in plants

  2014cited by this paper
• Bacterial Communities Associated with the Leaves and the Roots of Arabidopsis thaliana

  2013cited by this paper
• Beneficial effect of plant growth promoting bacteria isolated from the roots of potato plant

  2013cited by this paper
• Plant growth promoting activity of an auxin and siderophore producing isolate of Streptomyces under saline soil conditions

  2012cited by this paper
• Effect of the presence of the plant growth promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) Chryseobacterium balustinum Aur9 and salt stress in the pattern of flavonoids exuded by soybean roots

  2010cited by this paper
• Indole-3-acetic acid in microbial and microorganism-plant signaling.

  2007cited by this paper
• Pseudomonas fluorescens, a potential bacterial antagonist to control plant diseases

  2005cited by this paper
• In�uence of organic liquid fertilizer developed from livestock manure on the growth, antioxidant activities, and soil microbial populations of Chinese cabbage

  year unknowncited by this paper

• No citing papers are available for this paper.