EFFECT OF SALINITY STRESS ON in vitro SEED GERMINATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF Triticum aestivum L. var. HD 2687 and Zea mays var. PSCL-4642 in PRESENCE OF SALINITY TOLERANT BACTERIAL ENDOPHYTES ISOLATED FROM Bougainvillea glabra

Wheat and Corn crops contribute to man food security by providing a nutrient-rich diet. However, their productions in abiotic stress conditions, such as salinity, are limited. Present study aims to carry out to evaluate the NaCl tolerance efficiency of Triticum aestivum L. var. HD 2687 and Zea mays var. PSCL-4642 cultivars, at germination stage with inoculation of salt tolerant bacterial endophyte BoGl17 isolated from Bougainvillea glabra. Seed of both crops was examined for % seed germination with/without bacteria at 50, 100, 150, and 200 mM NaCl level. BoGl17 inoculation increased the radicle length of wheat and corn germinated seeds by 23.1 mm and 7 mm, respectively at salinity stress of 50 mM NaCl. However at 100 mM NaCl level, radical length of wheat and corn seedlings was 10 mm and 5 mm, respectively. Inoculation of BoGl17 isolate significantly increased the germinated seeds plumule lengths compared with controls. BoGl17 raised the plumule length of wheat in contrast of the control seeds by 30, 13, 6.8, and 4.1 mm at 50, 100, 150, and 200 mM salinity stress, respectively. Current research results supported the hypothesis that bacterial endophytes could be beneficial to subside the toxicity of saline stress on wheat and corn at the time of germination.