Central News Agency (CNA, Reporter Wang Shu-fen, Taipei, June 30) Afforestation efforts face increasing challenges due to climate change-induced droughts. The Taiwan Forestry Research Institute (TFRI) has discovered superior microbial strains in the roots of Acacia trees that can effectively reduce physiological damage to seedlings caused by high salinity or drought, aiding afforestation in barren or coastal areas. The Council of Agriculture (now Ministry of Agriculture) released a press release today stating that with climate change leading to extreme environmental shifts such as drought and high salinity, afforestation work faces growing challenges. Ensuring the survival of seedlings under harsh conditions is a critical issue in current forestry. TFRI's research team recently discovered multiple superior microbial strains from symbiotic microorganisms in Acacia roots that promote plant growth and enhance salt tolerance. This offers a new biological solution for future afforestation in barren or coastal regions. TFRI pointed out that Acacia is a common afforestation tree species on Taiwan's hillsides and coastlines. Its roots can form nodules through symbiosis with specific bacteria, thereby fixing atmospheric nitrogen to supplement soil nutrients. TFRI's research team delved into the microbial world within Acacia root nodules, collecting samples from Jianshi Township, Hsinchu County. They isolated 99 endophytic strains and screened 43 that could be stably cultured. TFRI further tested the functional performance of each strain. The results showed that several strains could synthesize exopolysaccharides (EPS) in high-salinity environments, helping plants maintain water balance and root structure stability. Some strains could synthesize the plant hormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), promoting seedling root development. Other strains possessed ACC deaminase activity, capable of breaking down ethylene precursors accumulated by plants under stress, effectively reducing p