## 8 Potential for Developing Abiotic Stress-Tolerant Crops via Microbial Inoculants  
Microbial inoculants, comprising either single strains or multi-species consortia like _Bacillus_ sp., _Azospirillum_ sp., _Pseudomonas_ sp., and _Trichoderma_ sp, represent a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical fertilizers and pesticides, as they can promote plant growth and resilience without the ecological drawbacks of agrochemicals [165]. These bioinoculants can be formulated to help crops tolerate various abiotic stresses, including drought, salinity, heavy metal toxicity, and temperature extremes, by enhancing nutrient uptake and improving physiological responses such as photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, as reported for crop plants and tomato [166; 167]. The ability of microbes to modulate root architecture, improve osmotic balance, and detoxify reactive oxygen species (ROS) enables plants to maintain cellular homeostasis during stress, as seen in tomato plants where microbial inoculation led to improved biochemical stress markers (chlorophyll, proline, polyphenols, SOD, and CAT) and hormonal profiles (ABA and IAA) under water deficit [166; 167]. Furthermore, microbial inoculants often produce phytohormones such as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), gibberells, and cytokins, which regulate growth and development even under suboptimal conditions, supporting plant adaptation and productivity during environmental challenges [167]. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Crop/Plant Species**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Stress Type**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**SynCom Composition/Source**} & **Observed Effects on Stress Resilience** & \multirow{2}{*}{**References**} \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{Maize} & \multirow{4}{*}{Drought} & Plant-beneficial & Reduced yield loss, & \\  & & SynCom (unspecified) & lower leaf temperature, & \\  & & SynCom (unspecified) & better turgor, faster & \\  & & & recovery, and improved & \\  & & & productivity & \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{Banana (Musa acuminata)} & \multirow{4}{*}{Biotic and abiotic} & \multirow{4}{*}{Endophytic SynComs (probiotic)} & Increased resilience, & \multirow{4}{*}{[162]} \\  & & & & growth promotion, and & \\  & & & (probiotic) & potential for sustainable & \\  & & & production & \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{_Brachypodium_ _distachyon_} & \multirow{4}{*}{Drought} & \multirow{4}{*}{15-member SynCom (5 phyla, rhizobium-derived)} & Enhanced drought & \multirow{4}{*}{[163]} \\  & & & resilience, better & \\  & & & resilience, & recovery, & \\  & & & (5 phyla, & \\  & & & rhinzobium-derived) & osmoprotectant & \\  & & & production, and root & \\  & & & colonization & \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{Rice} & \multirow{4}{*}{Arsenic (As)} & \multirow{4}{*}{_Pseudomonas_ sp., _Achromobacter_ sp., _Delftia_ sp., _Enterobacter_} & \multirow{4}{*}{[164]} \\  & & & _Flarobuctrium_ sp., _Triboderma_ sp. In the case of salinity stress, inoculants containing halotolerant PGPR can enhance ion homeostasis by increasing the K\({}^{+}\)/Na\({}^{+}\) ratio in plant tissues, as demonstrated in spring mungbean, maize, wheat, and other crops. These inoculants reduce Na\({}^{+}\) accumulation and promote K\({}^{+}\) uptake, improving growth, yield, and stress tolerance [168; 169; 170; 171]. In scenarios of cold or heat stress, certain microbes are known to produce protective proteins and enzymes, such as heat shock proteins and antioxidant enzymes, that stabilize cellular structures and mitigate oxidative damage [172; 167; 168; 173; 174]. These functional attributes make microbial inoculants a powerful tool for developing climate-resilient agriculture, as they consistently improve plant physiological and biochemical responses to multiple abiotic stresses, including salinity, drought, and temperature extremes [175; 156]. Moreover, integrating microbial technologies with advanced breeding strategies or CRISPR-based gene editing in plants holds promise for amplifying the benefits of plant-microhe interactions [176; 177; 178].