Effect of Two Salt Tolerant Bacteria Isolates on Barley Growth under Different Soil Salinity Levels

Salinity is one of the most important abiotic stresses limitingthe production of agricultural crops in arid and semi arid areaswhich prevents the growth and productivity of plants. The use of salt tolerantrhizospheric bacteria is an effective strategy to facilitate the growth of plants in saline soils. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two isolates of halotolerant rhizospheric bacteria on the promotion of barley growth in saline soils. An experiment with completely randomized factorial design was carried out with two factors including salinity in four levels (2, 4, 8 and 12 dS/m) and bacteria in three levels (none inoculated, inoculated with Bacillus subtilis and Corynebacterium glutamicum) in greenhouse condition. Shoot/root wet and dry weights, plant height, tiller number, leaf number, leaf chlorophyll content and shoot length were measured after 8 weeks. Results showed that salinity had significant effects on all measured parameters. Wet and dry weight of shoot (P<0.05), chlorophyll content of leaves (P<0.05) and height of shoot (P<0.001) increased significantly when barley seedlings were inoculated bysalt tolerant bacteria in various levels of salinity. The results also indicated that halo tolerant rhizospheric bacteria reduced the negative effects of salinity on barely growth.