Alexander et al. describe the importance of halotolerant bacterium in salt stress alleviation in peanut plant. Authors explore that inoculation of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia BJ01 provides protection to peanut plants against 100mM Nacl stress through reducing electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation activity. Although this study has significance importance for legumes protection under salinity stress condition, authors have failed to report nodule formation and N content study in plants. These are the main parameters for legumes plant to study under slat stress condition. These experiments should be included in this manuscript. I would also advise the authors to have the manuscript language corrected by a native English speaker, as it contains a significant number of grammar and structure errors. Below you will find specific comments that may be helpful in improving the manuscript.

In abstract Line 23: it should be constraint Line 24: rewrite complete sentence. Bacterium is a singular term, it should be bacteria. And provide tolerance against salt stress, not resistance. Line 28-31 rewrite complete sentences Line 33: “previously….conditions. Is this another study, if yes then no need to mention here. Write in discussion. Add more findings in abstract section along with numerical data. Also add level of salt stress treatment. Line 35-36: As this study only documents about salt stress and peanut crop, author can’t claim for agriculture crops and N2 deficit condition. Rewrite this sentence. Keywords: what is the mean of saline agriculture and how it differs from salt stress? Add some keywords from experimental findings Do not use PGPR term just write bacterial isolate name. Introduction The introduction is very superficial, does not provide the expected background information on what has been done in legumes for alleviating salt stress through microbial intervention. • Although author mentioned that salt stress hinders nodule formation and calcium absorption in legume plants, any experiments related on these parameters have not been performed in this study. The nitrogen content and nodule formation is most important parameters in legumes under salt stress, which are missing in this study. • Add reference in line 81-83 • Line 86-88: is this same bacterium (S. maltophilia BJ01), which is reported in the present study? If yes, then mention strain name also in throughout the manuscript (in abstract and title also). Mention its properties also i.e. salt tolerance capacity, PGP properties and isolation source. • Line91-93: statement repeated. • Is this bacterium submitted in culture collection? If yes then provide accession number. Material & methods Analyze nodule formation and nitrogen content in peanut. Line 101: replace with surface sterilized. What is the reason behind using half MS medium? Write full form of MS medium. Is this minimal salt or murashige & skoog? Why bacterial cells resuspended in half MS medium? 0.8% saline solution is the best medium for inoculation. Line 188: put comma after “after the acclimatization”. Plants were divided. Results & discussion Discussion should be rewrite completely with defining mechanism behind each finding. Use latest reference for discussion. Authors mentioned one decade ago references mostly in discussion. • Line 209-210: what is the reason behind non-significant difference in root length found in bacterial treated and un-treated plants, while the shoot length was increased? • Discuss the reasons behind the findings got in this study. • Line 229: Plants were grown • What is the reason that proline content was not increased but free amino acid content increased in bacterial inoculation plants? While both plays osmolyte role in plants during stress condition. • Line 277-279: rewrite sentence. IAA does not degrade in salt stress. • How bacterial inoculation can increase IAA content in plant? Does S. maltophilia BJ01 possess IAA secretion activity? If yes, then mention it. • Line 295-298: give reason for lower H2O2 content in bacterial inoculation plants.