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Description
One of the severe abiotic stresses leading to reductions in agricultural production is drought stress (DS). This study was conducted to examine the efficacy of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (M: consortium) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (R and B: consortium), individually or in combination, as an appropriate strategy for improving durum wheat productivity under two water regimes: well-watered (75% FC) and DS (25% FC). Exposure to DS reduced biomass, stomatal conductance and increased malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide content. Under DS, AMF promoted plant growth, such as shoot dry weight by 48%, by activating the photosynthesis mechanism and increasing osmolytes content in wheat plants treated with AMF, and antioxidant enzyme activities, such as polyphenoloxidase (PPO), in leaves by 36% in plants inoculated with B. After the experiment, total organic matter and soil carbon were improved by the single application of B by 99 and 317%, respectively. These findings indicate that the combination of mycorrhiza and PGPR regulates the physiological and biochemical functions of wheat in coping with drought, and enhances our understanding of the soil-plant relationship.
