Effect of Inoculation with Anaerobic Nitrogen-Fixing Consortium on Salt Tolerance ofMiscanthus sinensis

A functional community of bacterial endophytes, an anaerobic nitrogen-fixing consortium (ANFICO), was previously isolated from grasses. In the present study, we investigated another function of ANFICO. The grass Miscanthus sinensis was inoculated with an ANFICO that included Clostridium sp. Kas201-1 and Enterobacter sp. B901-2 and was more tolerant to salinity stress than uninoculated or B901-2-inoculated plants. Microscopic observations using an immunostaining technique revealed the presence of endophytic colonization by the clostridia and the maintenance of a substantial clostridial population until the end of plant cultivation. We conclude that endophytic Clostridium sp. Kas201-1 accompanying Enterobacter sp. B901-2 enhances the salinity tolerance of the host plant.