Abstract:Background Plant endophytic bacteria are a type of microorganisms that colonize the internal tissues of healthy plants without causing obvious disease symptoms. They possess multiple functions such as promoting plant growth, enhancing disease resistance and tolerance to abiotic stress, and are a microbial fertilizer germplasm resource with significant application potential in sustainable agriculture.Objective To isolate and identify endophytic bacteria from the roots of rice grown in Daqing soda saline-alkali soil, and to evaluate its plant growth-promoting potential, thereby providing a resource for seedling inoculants.Methods Endophytic bacteria were isolated by the dilution-plating method and identified through morphological observation and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The plant growth-promoting capacity of the target strain was evaluated via plant growth-promoting assays as well as rice seed germination and seedling cultivation experiments.Results Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene preliminarily identified strain D15 as Pseudomonas veronii. The strain could produce 9.39 μg/mL indole-3-acetic acid, solubilize 12.78 mg/L inorganic phosphate, and exhibit nitrogenase activity of 193.37 pmol/(mL·h). The siderophore and protease solubility indices (D/d) were 1.60 and 1.08, respectively. The strain could tolerant soda-salt (Na2CO3:NaHCO3=1:9) at the concentration of 100 mmol/L. In seed-germination assays, inoculation with the cell suspension of strain D15 significantly increased the shoot height and root length of germinated seeds by 8.58% and 7.76%, respectively. Rice seedlings treated with 109 CFU/mL D15 exhibited significant increments of 23.10% and 10.15% in shoot height and stem-base width, respectively, compared with the control at the two-leaf-and-one-bud stage. In addition, the inoculation increased the seedling fullness, vigorous-seedling index, root links, nodes, root tips, forks, and crossings by 24.86%, 54.01%, 46.26%, 43.03%, 36.05%, 45.25%, and 56.02%, respectively. These beneficial effects persisted until the three-leaf-and-one-bud stage, at which the shoot height, root length, and stem-base width increased significantly by 16.90%, 29.50%, and 25.18%, respectively, compared with those of the control. Meanwhile, the seedling fullness, vigorous-seedling index, root links, nodes, root tips, forks, and crossings improved significantly by 17.87%, 54.40%, 33.16%, 44.55%, 44.64%, 24.47%, and 34.62%, respectively.Conclusion The endophytic bacterium P. veronii D15, isolated from rice roots, exhibits excellent plant growth-promoting characteristics and shows the potential for development as a microbial biofertilizer.