Amelioration of Salt Stress in Cicer arietinum L. by Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria.

Salinity is a major abiotic stress that reduces the plant productivity. The plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) play important role in eliminating the effect of salinity. Cicer arietinum L. is an important legume crop having high quantity of proteins. In the present study, four varieties (CM44, CM91, CM98 and CM2000) were grown in the presence and absence of PGPR inoculated media and nitrogen in different salinity levels (20, 50, 100, 200 and 300mM NaCl). The biomass production of the varieties CM91 and CM98 increased at 20-100mM NaCl concentrations but drastically decreased at higher levels. While in varieties CM44 and CM2000 a gradual decrease of biomass with increasing salinity levels were observed. Number of pods, flowers and fresh weight of pods were not affected at salinity levels of 0-50mM and decreased at 100 mM NaCI in all the four varieties. In varieties CM91 and CM2000 nodules were formed at all levels of salinity treatments, while in varieties CM44 and CM98 nodules were formed at salinity levels of 0-50 mM NaCl and completely inhibited at 100mM NaCl. The total protein and nitrogen contents increased with concurrent increasing levels of NaCI. The plants treated with 50 mM NaCI had maximum amount of protein contents as compared to those at 0mM NaCI level. Varieties CM91 and CM2000 had higher protein contents than CM44 and CM98. At I/50 level of salinity the total protein contents were found more than inoculated control at 0mM NaCI. From this study, it is concluded that PGPRs can play an important role to mitigate the salt stress at different concentrations for better crop yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]