AUTHOR=Santoyo Gustavo , Orozco-Mosqueda Ma. del Carmen , Afridi Muhammad Siddique , Mitra Debasis , Valencia-Cantero Eduardo , Macías-Rodríguez Lourdes 

TITLE=Trichoderma and Bacillus multifunctional allies for plant growth and health in saline soils: recent advances and future challenges

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1423980

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2024.1423980

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Saline soils pose significant challenges to global agricultural productivity, hindering crop growth and efficiency. Despite various mitigation strategies, the issue persists, underscoring the need for innovative and sustainable solutions. One promising approach involves leveraging microorganisms and their plant interactions to reclaim saline soils and bolster crop yields. This review highlights pioneering and recent advancements in utilizing multi-traits <italic>Trichoderma</italic> and <italic>Bacillus</italic> species as potent promoters of plant growth and health. It examines the multifaceted impacts of saline stress on plants and microbes, elucidating their physiological and molecular responses. Additionally, it delves into the role of ACC deaminase in mitigating plant ethylene levels by <italic>Trichoderma</italic> and <italic>Bacillus</italic> species. Although there are several studies on <italic>Trichoderma-Bacillus</italic>, much remains to be understood about their synergistic relationships and their potential as auxiliaries in the phytoremediation of saline soils, which is why this work addresses these challenges.</p>