Isolation and Characterization of Endophytic Kosakonia radicincitans to Stimulate Wheat Growth in Saline Soil

Among abiotic stresses, salinity is a significant limiting factor affecting agricultural productivity, survival, and production, resulting in significant economic losses. The goal of this study was to isolate and characterize the endophytic Kosakonia radicincitans bacteria and their plant growth-promoting (PGP) activities to determine the effect of its inoculation on wheat plants under salinity stress conditions. One endophytic bacterial isolate was obtained from root nodules of faba bean (Vicia faba) plants grown in the salt-affected clay soil of Egypt. The isolate was identified and characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. This isolate Was phylogenetically related to Kosakonia radicincitans strain DSM 16656 with accession number OM980222.1. The isolate was evaluated for its ability to promote plant growth in vitro. Results revealed that the bacterial isolate of Kosakonia radicincitans produced indole-3-acetic acid (40.44 μgml-1) and exopolysaccharides (14.2 g/L), fixed nitrogen and could solubilize phosphate and potassium (273 mg/L and 42.8 μg/ml) respectively. In a field trial, this bacterial isolate reduced proline, and showed the best results for chlorophyll, grain yield, and 100-grain weight of wheat plants grown in the salt-affected soil as compared to the control plants. Wheat plants may benefit from the use of Kosakonia radicincitans as biofertilizers in sustainable farming techniques. Additional research in this area can support our findings.