PGPR enhance plant growth either by direct or indirect mechanisms. The direct growth promoting mechanisms involve nitrogen fixation, solubilization of minerals, production of phytohormones and the indirect approach occurs when PGPR lessen or prevent the deleterious effects of plant pathogens.  In the present study, rhizospheric soil samples were collected from different tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) cultivated fields from Raebareli district, Uttar Pradesh, India. A total of twenty three (23) bacterial strains were isolated from soil samples and identified on the basis of their morphological and biochemical characteristics and classified as genus Bacillus.Out of these twenty three isolates, seven bacterial isolates showed salt tolerance and three isolates (RBL-1, RBL-5 and RBL-6) showed tolerance against 10% (w/V) NaCl. All salt tolerant rhizobacterial isolates showed potential plant growth promoting (PGP )traits (production of  IAA, HCN, NH3, siderophores and phosphate solubilisation) and the isolate RBL-1 showed significantly high IAA production (78.20 µg/ml).

Keywords: Bacillus; PGPR; Tomato; Saline.