Received: July 25, 2017 Revised: November 23, 2017 Accepted: December 17, 2017 Abstract: Introduction: Due to the water shortage and dry Mediterranean condition, determination of water and nitrogen (N) fertilizer requirements is a major challenge for crop production and environment protection. A field experiment was carried out for two consecutive years (2014 and 2015) to evaluate the response ...

The association between plant and plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) contributes to the successful thriving of plants in extreme environments featured by water shortage. We have recently shown that, with respect to the non-cultivated desert soil, the rhizosphere of pepper plants cultivated under desert farming hosts PGPB communities that are endowed with a large portfolio of PGP traits. Pep...