Role of Plant Growth Promoting Microorganisms in Sustainable Agriculture: Perspectives and Challenges

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Background

The use of plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) for enhancing plant growth, preventing deadly diseases, alleviating abiotic and biotic stresses, and restoring soil health can be very useful. PGPR-based products such as biofertilizers and biopesticides are already being used at a global level and are found to be suitable alternatives to dangerous chemicals. There is a need to explore PGPMs now for purposes such as stress management, bioremediation, and combating climate change. In recent years, considerable developments are visible in the field of plant-microbe interactions, affirming their role in solving key environmental problems. However, in agroecosystems, the contribution of PGPMs is not fully explored in recognition of economic and social needs. The possibilities for their wide application in agriculture can increase with the advent of newer techniques. A number of PGPMs strains showing multifarious plant beneficial activities are now known, but very few have been formulated in the form of bio-inoculants. Hence, a strong perspective focused on their extended use in remediation of soil problems and diverse applicability in agroecosystems is required.

The use of PGPMs for sustainable and secure agriculture has increased worldwide during the last couple of decades. Several research investigations are conducted on the understanding of the diversity, dynamics and importance of soil PGPMs communities and their beneficial and cooperative roles in agricultural productivity. In this context, there is ongoing rigorous research worldwide with greater impetus to explore a wide range of rhizobacteria possessing novel traits like heavy metal detoxifying potentials, pesticide degradation/ tolerance, salinity tolerance, biological control of phytopathogens and insects along with the normal plant growth-promoting properties such as phytohormone, siderophore, and ammonia production, nitrogenase activity phosphate solubilization, potassium solubilization etc. Hence, diverse symbiotic (Rhizobium, Bradyrhizobium, Mesorhizobium) and non-symbiotic (Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Klebsiella, Azotobacter, Azospirillum, Azomonas), rhizobacteria are now being used worldwide as bio-inoculants to promote plant growth and development. Thus, based on their activities, PGPMs can be classified as biofertilizers, phytostimulators, rhizoremediators and biopesticides etc. In this Research Topic, we will attempt to shed more light on the role of PGPMs to improve nutrient use efficiency and crop sustainability simultaneously. The information generated from this could be very beneficial to those who are concerned about environmental protection and agricultural sustainability.

In this Research Topic, we welcome researchers to contribute research articles, reviews, and short communications addressing the latest knowledge on the understanding of the diversity, dynamics and importance of PGPMs communities and their beneficial and cooperative roles in agricultural productivity.

Keywords: plant beneficial microorganisms, bacteria, fungi, plant-microbial interactions, biofertilizers, rhizosphere, symbiosis, bioremediation, environmental sustainability, agriculture

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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