The Growth Promotion of Two Salt-Tolerant Plant Groups with PGPR Inoculation: A Meta-Analysis

Understanding the primary mechanisms for plant promotion under salt stress with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) inoculation of different salt-tolerant plant groups would be conducive to using PGPR efficiently. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate plant growth promotion and uncover its underlying mechanisms in salt-sensitive plants (SSP) and salt-tolerant plants (STP) with PGPR inoculation under salt stress. PGPR inoculation decreased proline, sodium ion (Na+) and malondialdehyde but increased plant biomass, nutrient acquisition (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium ion (K+), calcium ion (Ca2+), and magnesium ion (Mg2+)), ion homeostasis (K+/Na+ ratio, Ca2+/Na+ ratio, and Mg2+/Na+ ratio), osmolytes accumulation (soluble sugar and soluble protein), antioxidants (superoxide dismutase), and photosynthesis (chlorophyll, carotenoid, and photosynthetic rate) in both SSP and STP. The effect size of total biomass positively correlated with the effect sizes of nutrient acquisition and the homeostasis of K+/Na+, and negatively correlated with the effect size of malondialdehyde in both SSP and STP. The effect size of total biomass also positively correlated with the effect sizes of carotenoid and the homeostasis in Ca2+/Na+ and Mg2+/Na+ and negatively correlated with the effect size of Na+ in SSP, but it only negatively correlated with the effect size of Ca2+ in STP. Our results suggest that the plant growth improvement depends on the nutrient acquisition enhancement in both SSP and STP, while ion homeostasis plays an important role and carotenoid may promote plant growth through protecting photosynthesis, reducing oxidative damage and promoting nutrient acquisition only in SSP after PGPR inoculation under salt stress.