The aim of this study was to determine the effects of selected plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on some physiological characteristics, plant growth, yield, and plant nutrient content of lettuce grown under different irrigation levels. Field experiments were carried out as split plot based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Three irrigation levels, I1 = 100% (control), I2 = 75%, and I3 = 50% of the field capacity (FC), were determined at the 0–15 cm soil depth by time-domain reflectometry (TDR), as main plots and three levels of bacterial species consisting of no bacterial inoculation (control), Bacillus megaterium TV 6D (B1), Bacillus subtilis TV 12H (B2) as sub plots in 2012 and 2013.
The results of the study suggested that PGPR inoculations could alleviate the deleterious effects of lower irrigation conditions on the growth and yield of lettuce plants