Co-inoculation of Halomonas maura and Ensifermeliloti to improve alfalfa yield in saline soils

• Halomonas maura and Ensifer meliloti were inoculated in alfalfa plants grown in saline soils.
• Studies were carried out in greenhouse and in natural saline soils.
• The co-inoculation enhances alfalfa productivity in saline soils.
• Halomonas maura could be used as bioinoculant to reduce the overuse of fertilizers.

Salinity is the major environmental factor limiting crop production. Alfalfa is a legume with high nutritional value that establishes a symbiosis relation with Ensifermeliloti. Under saline conditions the alfalfa yield decreases and this symbiosis is affected. The aim of this work is to study the effect of the co-inoculation of alfalfa plants with Halomonas maura (a moderately halophile bacterium) and E. meliloti in saline soils to improve their productivity and growth under greenhouse and field conditions. Alfalfa plants were grown in Leonard jar under greenhouse conditions, using a N-free mineral solution to mimic the conditions of an Orthic Solonchak. Then alfalfa plants were grown in the field in the same soil type. Seeds were inoculated with E. meliloti, H. maura, co-inoculated with E. meliloti and H. Maura, or non-inoculated as a control in both experiments. In greenhouse experiments the co-inoculation of alfalfa plants increased significantly the shoot dry weight (0.64 ± 0.02 vs. 0.79 ± 0.02), the leghaemoglobin content (10.17 ± 0.03 vs. 11.25 ± 0.06) and water potential (−3.12 ± 0.02 vs. −2.79 ± 0.02) compared with the single inoculation with E. meliloti. In the field experiments, biomass of co-inoculated plants clearly outyielded those of plants inoculated with any inoculant. The co-inoculation of H. maura and E. meliloti enhances alfalfa productivity in saline soils, thus contributing to the agricultural exploitation of low productive areas. H. maura and E. meliloti could be considered in formulation of bioinoculants to contribute in the reduction of the overuse of chemical fertilizers and their environmental impacts.