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The INRA Montpelier Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology Under Environmental Stress analysed the genes of the bacteria found in the roots of rape plants that showed a higher growth under different stress conditions. It was found that the strand STM196 of 'Phyllobacterium brassicacearum' delayed the reproductive development of the plant, increasing in this way its biomass production up to a 50% independently of the water availability conditions. The bacteria strand induced a higher root growth allowing the plant to better explore the soil and make more optimal use of the available water. Furthermore, the interaction of the bacteria with the plant also reduced the transpiration of the leaves and thus the loss of water. Tests under more severe water scarcity conditions showed a 70 % survival rate for the plants inoculated with the bacteria strand, while only 40 % of the plants which had not been inoculated survived.