Bacteria associated with highly drought resistant Pistacia terebinthus: the key to reduce drought stress in other plant species?

Abstract

Plant-associated bacteria can not only stimulate plant growth, but also play an important role in the adaptation of their host plant to stress-inducing environmental conditions such as extreme drought. In this project, the effect of inoculation with selected endophytic bacteria isolated from the highly drought resistant tree Pistacia terebinthus on the drought resistance of four different plant species was evaluated. The results show that drought had a strong negative impact on all plant species, while the effect of inoculation on the measured parameters was less pronounced and varied between the different plant species.