The Effects of Plant-Associated Bacterial Exopolysaccharides on Plant Abiotic Stress Tolerance León Morcillo, Rafael Jorge Manzanera Ruiz, Maximino Enrique Exopolysaccharides Abiotic stress PGPR Salinity Drought Heavy metal Heat stress Cold This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness and the European Union, within the context of the research project CGL2017-91737-EXP and by the Andalusian Regional Government and the European Union under the aegis of research project P18-RT-976. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are beneficial soil microorganisms that can stimulate plant growth and increase tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Some PGPR are capable of secreting exopolysaccharides (EPS) to protect themselves and, consequently, their plant hosts against environmental fluctuations and other abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, or heavy metal pollution. This review focuses on the enhancement of plant abiotic stress tolerance by bacterial EPS. We provide a comprehensive summary of the mechanisms through EPS to alleviate plant abiotic stress tolerance, including salinity, drought, temperature, and heavy metal toxicity. Finally, we discuss how these abiotic stresses may affect bacterial EPS production and its role during plant-microbe interactions. 2021-07-16T07:27:07Z 2021-07-16T07:27:07Z 2021-05-24 info:eu-repo/semantics/article Morcillo, R.J.L.; Manzanera, M. The Effects of Plant-Associated Bacterial Exopolysaccharides on Plant Abiotic Stress Tolerance. Metabolites 2021, 11, 337. [https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo11060337] http://hdl.handle.net/10481/69734 10.3390/metabo11060337 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Atribución 3.0 España MDPI