Impact of Two Strains of on the Adaptation to Terminal Water Deficit of Two Cultivars .

Drought stress has become one of the most uncontrolled and unpredictable constraints on crop production. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impacts of two different strains on terminal drought tolerance induction in two faba bean genotypes cultivated in Algeria, Aquadulce and Maltais. To this end, we measured physiological parameters-osmoprotectants accumulation, oxidative stress markers and enzyme activities-to assess the effect of inoculation on under terminal water deficiency conditions in greenhouse trials. Upregulation of anti-oxidative mechanisms and production of compatible solutes were found differentially activated according to strain. Drought stress resilience of the Maltais variety was improved using the local strain OL13 compared to the common strain 3841. Symbiosis with OL13 strain leads in particular to a much better production of proline and soluble sugar in nodules but also in roots and leaves of Maltais plant. Even if additional work is still necessary to decipher the mechanism by which a strain can affect the accumulation of osmoprotectants or cellular redox status in all the plants, inoculation with selected could be a promising strategy for improving water stress management in the forthcoming era of climate change.