Effect of Rhizobacteria on Morphological Properties of Pear Cultivars in Saline Soil Conditions

• Published in: Applied Fruit Science 2025-02, Vol.67 (1), p.24, Article 24
• Main Authors: Ali, Mostafa Fraidoon Faaek, Pirlak, Lütfi, Dönmez, Mesude Figen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Arid regions; Arid zones; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cultivars; Fruits; Irrigation; Irrigation water; Life Sciences; Original Article; Plant growth; Plant layout; Plant nutrition; Plant Sciences; Planting; Plants (botany); Saline soils; Salinity; Salinity effects; Salts; Sodium chloride; Soil conditions; Soil microorganisms; Soil properties; Soil salinity; Soil stresses; Soil water
• ISSN: 2948-2623; 0014-0309; 2948-2631; 1439-0302
• DOI: 10.1007/s10341-024-01253-y

Soil salinity is one of the most important abiotic stress sources in world agriculture, and the increasing salinity of soils with the increase in salt in irrigation water limits plant cultivation in many semiarid and arid regions of the world. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of some plant growth promoting rhizobacteria ( Bacillus megaterium FC11, B. subtilis FC17, Kocuria erythromyxa EY 43), which are capable of living under stress conditions, on plant growth and nutrition in salty soil conditions in ‘Akça’, ‘Deveci’, ‘Santa Maria’, and ‘Carmen’ pear cultivars grafted on BA29 rootstock. Bacterial applications to saplings were started with planting in February and were applied once a month for four times as irrigation water. Salt applications were started 1 month after planting, and 50 mM NaCl was given with irrigation water twice a week. While vegetative development had the highest values in the control group plants in both years under saline soil conditions, it had the lowest values in saline soils without bacterial application. In pear saplings, shoot length, shoot diameter, root length, plant and root dry weights were negatively affected by salt application. However, it was observed that plants could tolerate these negativities with bacterial applications. The most effective bacterial strain was EY43, followed by FC11 and FC17. As a result, it can be said that the negative effects of salt can be reduced with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria applications in pear species that are sensitive to saline soil conditions.