Table 1.
Contributions of microbes in the induction of drought tolerance by plants
| Plant species | Microbes | Microbial enhanced plant productivity under stress | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato |
Rhizophagus irregularis
Variovorax paradoxus 5C-2 |
Enhanced photosynthetic rate, reduced lipid oxidation, and increased root water conductivity and oxidative phosphorylation in the plant | Calvo-Polanco et al. (2016) |
| Chickpea | Pseudomonas putida MTCC5279 (RA) | Reduced/controlled the expression of stress response gene, maintained water content, osmolyte, membrane structure, and germination rate of the plant | Tiwari et al. (2016) |
| Maize | Azospirillum spp. (Az19) | Improve the growth and productivity of the plant under water stress compared to the control | Garcia et al. (2017) |
| Wheat | Piriformospora indica | Enhanced adaptation of plant by promoting nutrient and water absorption, improved root growth, biomass, water, chlorophyll and modulate the activities of antioxidant molecules | Hosseini et al. (2017) |
| Trifolium repens |
Rhizophagus intraradices
Bacillus megaterium Pseudomonas putida |
A consortium of these microbes increased plant nutrient and water contents, reduced stomatal conductance and stress enzyme activities for better adaptation to drought | Ortiz et al. (2015) |
| Wheat | Azospirillum brasilense Sp245 | Increased growth and expansion of xylem in the coleoptile of inoculated plant for easy conduction of water | Pereyra et al. (2012) |
| Lavandula dentata | Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Bacillus thuringiensis |
Co-inoculation enhanced plant growth, nutrient content, biomass, and reduction in lipid oxidation of the plant | Armada et al. (2016) |
| Maize | Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Bacillus thuringiensis |
Improved nutrient content and water transport protein as well as reduce lipid oxidation in the stressed plant | Armada et al. (2015a) |
| Brassica oxyrrhina |
Pseudomonas libanensis TR1 Pseudomonas reactans Ph3R3 |
Enhanced growth, pigment and water content as well as phytoaccumulation of heavy metals in the plant | Ma et al. (2016) |
| Maize | Pseudomonas putida (FBKV2) | Encouraged root and shoot growth, dried biomass weight and reduced stomatal conductance in the plant | Vurukonda et al. (2016b) |
| Common Bean | Rhizobium | Promoted plant weight, nutrient content and increased Phaseolus vulgaris yield | Yanni et al. (2016) |