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Physiological and Molecular Insight of Microbial Biostimulants for Sustainable Agriculture

Summary

This research examines how beneficial soil bacteria can help crops grow better and survive environmental challenges like drought, heat, and disease. Instead of using chemical fertilizers or genetic modification, these natural bacteria provide a sustainable way to improve agriculture. Key impacts on everyday life: – Helps farmers grow food more sustainably without harmful chemicals – Improves crop survival during droughts and extreme weather – Leads to healthier soil for long-term agricultural productivity – Provides natural disease protection for food crops – Reduces environmental pollution from agricultural chemicals

Background

Agriculture faces major challenges due to shrinking arable land, increased anthropogenic activities and climate change leading to flash floods, droughts and temperature fluctuations. Warm climatic conditions increase disease and pest incidences, reducing crop yield. Chemical fertilizers used to increase productivity cause detrimental effects on soil microorganisms, human health and the environment. Biostimulants have emerged as a promising sustainable solution to improve plant growth under stressful conditions.

Objective

This review focuses on analyzing the molecular pathways activated by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) based biostimulants in plants facing abiotic and biotic challenges. It aims to understand the common mechanisms modulated by these biostimulants to combat various stresses and highlight traits modified through transgenic approaches that lead to physiological responses similar to PGPR application.

Results

The review found that PGPR-based biostimulants help plants combat stress through multiple mechanisms including production of ACC deaminase, enhanced antioxidant production, proline accumulation, and modulation of plant hormones. These biostimulants trigger similar physiological responses as achieved through genetic modification but in a more sustainable way. They activate pathways leading to production of defense-related metabolites and improve plant tolerance to drought, salinity, temperature stress and pathogens.

Conclusion

PGPR-based biostimulants offer a promising sustainable solution for improving crop productivity under stress conditions. They influence expression of stress-related genes triggering production of antioxidants, osmolytes, proline and key biomolecules that help plants overcome both abiotic and biotic challenges. While further research is needed to fully understand plant-microbe interactions, PGPR application represents an eco-friendly approach to boost agricultural yields compared to chemical inputs or genetic modification.
  • Published in:Frontiers in Plant Science,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1041413
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