| Abstrak/Abstract |
Soil salinity is a significant constraint on crop productivity, particularly in marginal lands, and
sustainable biological approaches are needed to mitigate its impact. Plant growth-promoting
rhizobacteria (PGPR) with halotolerance represent promising candidates for enhancing plant resilience
under saline stress. This study aimed to isolate halotolerant PGPR from saline-impacted soils in
Pekalongan, Indonesia, and evaluate their potential to improve plant growth under salinity stress.
Five bacterial isolates (WN-01 to WN-05) were successfully obtained. The isolates displayed multiple
PGPR traits, including nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) synthesis,
siderophore release, cellulase activity, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity,
exopolysaccharide production, and tolerance to salinity up to 9% NaCl. Molecular identification
confirmed the isolates as Bacillus subtilis (WN-01), Priestia megaterium (WN-02), Pseudomonas
segetis (WN-03), Bacillus pumilus (WN-04), and Bacillus cereus (WN-05). Compatibility analysis
indicated their potential to be formulated as a consortium bioinoculant. In vivo pot experiments using
sweet maize (Zea mays saccharata var. Bonanza F1) under saline conditions (4 dS m
-1
) showed that
consortium application, especially at 10⁸ CFU ml-1
, significantly enhanced plant height, leaf surface
area, and chlorophyll content. Moreover, the total microbial population in soil increased proportionally
with inoculum density, with the highest values recorded in the 10⁸ CFU ml -1
treatment. These findings
demonstrate that local halotolerant PGPR have strong potential as bioinoculants to support crop growth
and soil health in saline-impacted marginal lands |
