Soil salinity and drought are among the environmental stresses that most severely affect plant growth and production around the world. In this study the rhizospheres ofSalicorniaplants and bulk soils were collected fromSebkhetandChotthypersaline ecosystems in Tunisia. Depiction of bacterial microbiome composition by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis unveiled the occurrence of a high bacterial diversity associated withSalicorniaroot system. A large collection of 475 halophilic and halotolerant bacteria was established fromSalicorniarhizosphere and the surrounding bulk soil, and the bacteria were characterized for the resistance to temperature, osmotic and saline stresses, and plant growth promotion (PGP) features. TwentyHalomonasstrains showed resistance to a wide set of abiotic stresses and were able to perform different PGP activitiesin vitroat 5% NaCl, including ammonia and indole-3-acetic acid production, phosphate solubilisation, and potential nitrogen fixation. By using agfp-labelled strain it was possible to demonstrate thatHalomonasis capable of successfully colonisingSalicorniaroots in the laboratory conditions. Our results indicated that the culturable halophilic/halotolerant bacteria inhabiting salty and arid ecosystems have a potential to contribute to promoting plant growth under the harsh salinity and drought conditions. These halophilic/halotolerant strains could be exploited in biofertilizer formulates to sustain crop production in degraded and arid lands.

The association between plant and plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) contributes to the successful thriving of plants in extreme environments featured by water shortage. We have recently shown that, with respect to the non-cultivated desert soil, the rhizosphere of pepper plants cultivated under desert farming hosts PGPB communities that are endowed with a large portfolio of PGP traits. Pepper plants exposed to bacterial isolates from plants cultivated under desert farming exhibited a higher tolerance to water shortage, compared with untreated control. This promotion was mediated by a larger root system (up to 40%), stimulated by the bacteria, that enhanced plant ability to uptake water from dry soil. We provide initial evidence that the nature of the interaction can have a limited level of specificity and that PGPB isolates may determine resistance to water stress in plants others than the one of the original isolation. It is apparent that, in relation to plant resistance to water stress, a feature of primary evolutionary importance for all plants, a cross-compatibility between PGPB and different plant models exists at least on a short-term.

A total of 119 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated, by culture-dependant method, from rhizosphere samples of olive trees and desert truffles and evaluated for different biotechnological properties. Using the variability of the intergenic spacer 16S-23S and 16S rRNA gene sequences, the isolates were identified as the generaLactococcus, Pediococcus, Lactobacillus, Weissella,andEnterococcus. All the strains showed proteolytic activity with variable rates 42% were EPS producers, while only 10% showed the ability to grow in 9% NaCl. In addition, a low rate of antibiotic resistance was detected among rhizospheric enterococci. Furthermore, a strong antibacterial activity against plant and/or pathogenic bacteria ofStenotrophomonas maltophilia, Pantoea agglomerans, Pseudomonas savastanoi, the food-borneStaphylococcus aureus,andListeria monocytogeneswas recorded. Antifungal activity evaluation showed thatBotrytis cinereawas the most inhibited fungus followed byPenicillium expansum, Verticillium dahliae,andAspergillus niger. Most of the active strains belonged to the generaEnterococcusandWeissella. This study led to suggest that environmental-derived LAB strains could be selected for technological application to control pathogenic bacteria and to protect food safety from postharvest deleterious microbiota.

The emergence of antibiotics-resistant bacteria has been a serious concern for medical professionals over the last decade. Therefore, developing new and effective antimicrobials with modified or different modes of action is a continuing imperative. In this context, our study focuses on evaluating the antimicrobial activity of different chemically synthesized flavonoids (FLAV) to guide the chemical synthesis of effective antimicrobial molecules. A set of 12 synthesized molecules (4 chalcones, 4 flavones and 4 flavanones), bearing substitutions with chlorine and bromine groups at the C6′ position and methoxy group at the C4′ position of the B-ring were evaluated for antimicrobial activity toward 9 strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and 3 fungal strains. Our findings showed that most tested FLAV exhibited moderate to high antibacterial activity, particularly against Staphylococcus aureus with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) between the range of 31.25 and 125 μg/mL and that chalcones were more efficient than flavones and flavanones. The examined compounds were also active against the tested fungi with a strong structure-activity relationship (SAR). Interestingly, leakage measurements of the absorbent material at 260 nm and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that the brominated chalcone induced a significant membrane permeabilization of S. aureus.