Godinho, MarianaCastro, Paula M. L.Pereira, Sofia I. A.2026-01-152026-01-152025-12-01Godinho, M., Castro, P. M. L., & Pereira, S. I. A. (2025). Bioinoculants as a strategy to mitigate water deficiency in maize growth. Poster session presented at Microbiotec’25, Ponta Delgada, Portugal.2e56c512-0566-46c6-a13b-89f68b6106bdhttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/56556Introduction and aim: Intensive use of inorganic fertilizers to meet growing food demand has become a major threat to soil health and long-term agricultural productivity. At same time, drought remains a global challenge due to its severe impact on crop yields. Annual crops of economic relevance (e.g. maize) are particularly vulnerable. Plant growth-promoting bacteria enhance maize tolerance to drought stress by improving nutrient uptake and water retention, offering an eco-friendly farming solution. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of bioinoculation on maize growth under two different water regimes. Conclusions: Although the selected bacteria exhibited multiple plant growth-promoting traits, including substantial IAA production and good tolerance to osmotic stress, most of them had only marginal effects on maize growth; However, inoculation with B1 (e.g. Bacillus pumilus) positively influenced both root and shoot biomass under moderate water-stress conditions.engconference poster not in proceedings