Background and Aims <p>Soil salinization and alkalization represent major challenges for global agriculture, with soda-alkali soils being particularly difficult to remediate. The rhizosphere microbiota confers salt-alkali tolerance to wild rice; however, the development and application of these microbial resources remain limited.</p> Methods <p>A salt-alkali-tolerant <i>Enterobacter asburiae</i> was isolated from wild rice rhizosphere. Its ability to enhance salt-alkali tolerance in cultivated rice was verified through greenhouse pot experiments. Amplicon sequencing analyzed changes in the rice rhizosphere bacterial community after inoculation. Metabolomic profiling of the bacterium and physiological-biochemical analyses of rice were conducted to investigate the role of bacterial metabolites. A field trial further evaluated the strain’s impact on rice yield.</p> Results <p><i>Enterobacter asburiae</i> efficiently colonized rice roots and formed biofilms, reducing Na⁺ influx into root tissues. It synthesized antioxidant metabolites such as L-arginine, γ-tocopherol, and pyridoxine. Rice inoculated with the strain exhibited lower malondialdehyde levels and higher activities of catalase and peroxidase, as well as increased glutathione content. The strain also produced phytohormones, such as gibberellins and auxins, which promoted rice root and shoot growth and enhanced chlorophyll content under salt-alkali stress. Field experiments showed a 15.51% yield increase compared to the control.</p> Conclusions <p>This study demonstrates that <i>Enterobacter asburiae</i> enhances rice salt-alkali tolerance via a triple-action strategy: (1) forming biofilms to block Na⁺ influx into roots ("plant protection"), (2) inducing antioxidants to alleviate oxidative stress ("elimination of abnormal states"), and (3) producing phytohormones to promote growth ("post-stress recovery"). These mechanisms synergistically improve rice growth and yield under stress.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>