Exploring the Use of Bacillus Subtilis to Improve the Growth of Phaseolus Vulgaris under Saline Conditions

Abstract

Soil salinity is a problem that affects many countries, and one of them is the United Arab Emirates. A microorganism that has been known for its salinity resistance mechanisms could be a factor in improving and enhancing agricultural problems. The aim of this study is to explore the use of Bacillus Subtilis in agricultural practices and how it can affect growth under saline conditions and guide future studies in this field with the goal of giving better implications and providing more information. Bacillus Subtilis was introduced to a plant that cannot tolerate high salinity levels, Phaseolus Vulgaris. Three different methods were used in conducting this study: (1) germination of seeds in bacterial broth, (2) inoculation of seeds with bacterial broth, and (3) spreading of bacterial broth on soil samples. This study confirmed that using Bacillus Subtilis with Phaseolus Vulgaris indeed increases its resistance in saline conditions. Moreover, using this bacterium could be the solution to agricultural problems due to high salinity levels if they were engineered and modified to enhance their resistance tolerance. The recommendations to this study would be to implement it in a controlled field and explore the usage of Bacillus Subtilis with different plants and soils as well as to check how other factors, such as temperature, affect the growth of plants in saline conditions while Bacillus Subtilis is present in that environment. Another recommendation would be collecting data with different methods and using DNA sequencing to check how Bacillus Subtilis affect soils and the microbes that exist in those soils.