Gradual depletion in soil nutrients has affected soil fertility, soil nutrients, and the activities of soil enzymes. The applications of multifarious rhizobacteria can help to overcome these issues, however, the effect of co-inoculation of plant-growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and biochar on growth andnutrient levelsin soybean and on the level of soil nutrients and enzymes needs in-depth study. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of co-inoculation of multifarious Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 110 and Pseudomonas putida TSAU1 and different levels (1 and 3%) of biochar on growth parameters and nutrient levelsin soybean and on the level of soil nutrients and enzymes. Effect of co-inoculation of rhizobacteria and biochar (1 and 3%) on the plant growth parameters and soil biochemicals were studied in pot assay experiments under greenhouse conditions. Both produced good amounts of indole-acetic acid; (22 and 16 µg mL⁻¹), siderophores (79 and 87%SU), and phosphate solubilization (0.89 and 1.02 99 g mL⁻¹). Co-inoculation of B. japonicum with P. putida and 3% biochar significantly improved the growth and nutrient content ofsoybean and the level of nutrients and enzymes in the soil, thus making the soil more fertile to support crop yield. The results of this research provide the basis of sustainable and chemical-free farming for improved yields and nutrients in soybean and improvement in soil biochemical properties.

The effectiveness of plant growth - promoting bacteria is variable under different biotic and abiotic conditions. Abiotic factors may negatively affect the beneficial properties and efficiency of the introduced PGPR inoculants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of plant growth - promoting rhizobacteria on plant growth and on the control of foot and root rot of tomatoes caused by Fusarium solani under different soil salinity conditions. Among the five tested strains, only Pseudomonas chlororaphis TSAU13, and Pseudomonas extremorientalis TSAU20 were able to stimulate plant growth and act as biological controls of foot and root rot disease of tomato. The soil salinity did not negatively affect the beneficial impacts of these strains, as they were able to colonize and survive on the roots of tomato plants under both saline and non-saline soil conditions. The improved plant height and fruit yield of tomato was also observed for plants inoculated with P. extremorientalis TSAU20. Our results indicated that, saline condition is not crucial factor in obtaining good performance with respect to the plant growth stimulating and biocontrol abilities of PGPR strains. The bacterial inoculant also enhanced antioxidant enzymes activities thereby preventing ROS induced oxidative damage in plants, and the proline concentrations in plant tissue that play an important role in plant stress tolerance.

During the last five decades, the Aral Sea has gradually changed from a saline water body to a hypersaline lake. Microbial community inhabiting the Aral Sea has been through a succession and continuous adaptation during the last 50 years of increasing salinization, but so far, the microbial diversity has not been explored. Prokaryotic diversity of the Large Aral Sea using cultivation‐independent methods based on determination of environmental 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed a microbial community related to typical marine or (hyper) saline‐adapted Bacteria and Archaea. The archaeal sequences were phylogenetically affiliated with the order Halobacteriales, with a large number of operational taxonomic units constituting a novel cluster in the Haloferacaceae family. Bacterial community analysis indicated a higher diversity with representatives belonging to Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Many members of Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria were affiliated with genera like Roseovarius, Idiomarina and Spiribacter which have previously been found in marine or hypersaline waters. The majority of the phylotypes was most closely related to uncultivated organisms and shared less than 97% identity with their closest match in GenBank, indicating a unique community structure in the Large Aral Sea with mostly novel species or genera.