In the present study, we demonstrate that the growth of salt-stressed pepper plants is improved by inoculation with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Three PGPR strains (Microbacterium oleivorans KNUC7074, Brevibacterium iodinum KNUC7183, and Rhizobium massiliae KNUC7586) were isolated from the rhizosphere of pepper plants growing in saline soil, and pepper plants inoculated with these PGPR strains exhibited significantly greater plant height, fresh weight, dry weight, and total chlorophyll content than non-inoculated plants. In addition, salt-stressed pepper plants that were inoculated with B. iodinum KNUC7183 and R. massiliae KNUC7586 possessed significantly different total soluble sugar and proline contents from non-inoculated controls, and the activity of several antioxidant enzymes (ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, and catalase) was also elevated in PGPR-treated plants under salt stress. Overall, these results suggest that the inoculation of pepper plants with M. oleivorans KNUC7074, B. iodinum KNUC7183, and R. massiliae KNUC7586 can alleviate the harmful effects of salt stress on plant growth.
Keywords: Salt stress; antioxidant enzyme; pepper; plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria; proline; total soluble sugar.