Plant Growth-Promoting Microbes: Role and Prospective in Amelioration of Salt Stress

Salt stress is the most pernicious of the abiotic stresses in arid and semiarid areas, having an adverse impact on crop growth and yields. Soil salinization decreases agricultural land by 1–2% every year and thus decreases crop yield, affecting ecological and socio-economic outcomes. Due to the increasing population and urbanization, it is the demand of the time to utilize every inch of land. In salt-affected soils, plant growth is destructively affected by the osmotic stress, ion toxicity, oxidative stress, and generation of ethylene. Salinity also affects microbiological processes and biological properties of soil and causes shifts in the microbial communities. Application of plant growth promoting microbes (PGPMs) is one of the significant strategies that can reduce the adverse effect of salt stress in crops and promote plant growth through several mechanisms such as secretion of growth hormones, increase in nutrient uptake, nitrogen fixation and protection from diseases. In this review, we have discussed salt affected soils and also addressed their impact on plant growth. We have highlighted the different mitigation strategies of salt-tolerant plant growth-promoting microbes which are beneficial for the growth of plants.