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Plant function and evolutionary biology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Interactive effect of biochar and plant growth-promoting bacterial endophytes on ameliorating salinity stress in maize

Saqib Saleem Akhtar A B , Mathias Neumann Andersen B C , Muhammad Naveed D , Zahir Ahmad Zahir D and Fulai Liu A B E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Højbakkegård Allé 13, DK-2630 Tåstrup, Denmark.

B Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, 3 Zhongguancun South 1st Alley, Haidian District, 100190 Beijing, China.

C Department of Agroecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, 8830 Tjele, Denmark.

D Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan.

E Corresponding author. Email: fl@plen.ku.dk

Functional Plant Biology 42(8) 770-781 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP15054
Submitted: 2 March 2015  Accepted: 24 April 2015   Published: 26 May 2015

Abstract

The objective of this work was to study the interactive effect of biochar and plant growth-promoting endophytic bacteria containing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase and exopolysaccharide activity on mitigating salinity stress in maize (Zea mays L.). The plants were grown in a greenhouse under controlled conditions, and were subjected to separate or combined treatments of biochar (0% and 5%, w/w) and two endophytic bacterial strains (Burkholderia phytofirmans (PsJN) and Enterobacter sp. (FD17)) and salinity stress. The results indicated that salinity significantly decreased the growth of maize, whereas both biochar and inoculation mitigated the negative effects of salinity on maize performance either by decreasing the xylem Na+ concentration ([Na+]xylem) uptake or by maintaining nutrient balance within the plant, especially when the two treatments were applied in combination. Moreover, in biochar-amended saline soil, strain FD17 performed significantly better than did PsJN in reducing [Na+]xylem. Our results suggested that inoculation of plants with endophytic baterial strains along with biochar amendment could be an effective approach for sustaining crop production in salt-affected soils.

Additional keywords: Burkholderia phytofirmans (PsJN), Enterobacter sp. (FD17), inoculation, physiology, sodium, Zea mays L.


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