One of the most significant constraints on agricultural productivity is the low availability of iron (Fe) in soil, which is directly related to biological, physical, and chemical activities in the rhizosphere. The rhizosphere has a high iron requirement due to plant absorption and microorganism density. Plant roots and microbes in the rhizosphere play a significant role in promoting plant iron (Fe) uptake, which impacts plant development and physiology by influencing nutritional, biochemical, and soil components. The concentration of iron accessible to these live organisms in most cultivated soil is quite low due to its solubility being limited by stable oxyhydroxide, hydroxide, and oxides. The dissolution and solubility rates of iron are also significantly affected by soil pH, microbial population, organic matter content, redox processes, and particle size of the soil. In Fe-limiting situations, plants and soil microbes have used active strategies such as acidification, chelation, and reduction, which have an important role to play in enhancing soil iron availability to plants. In response to iron deficiency, plant and soil organisms produce organic (carbohydrates, amino acids, organic acids, phytosiderophores, microbial siderophores, and phenolics) and inorganic (protons) chemicals in the rhizosphere to improve the solubility of poorly accessible Fe pools. The investigation of iron-mediated associations among plants and microorganisms influences plant development and health, providing a distinctive prospect to further our understanding of rhizosphere ecology and iron dynamics. This review clarifies current knowledge of the intricate dynamics of iron with the end goal of presenting an overview of the rhizosphere mechanisms that are involved in the uptake of iron by plants and microorganisms.

Agriculture is undergoing a paradigm shift as it moves away from relying only on agrochemicals toward natural-based product to enhance plant growth and productivity while sustainably maintaining soil quality and productivity. In this sense, microalgae and bacteria offer a unique potential due to the growing use of novel and eco-friendly products such as biofertilizers, biostimulants, and biopesticides. Microalgae improve crop growth and health by fixing nitrogen, releasing soil trace elements, solubilizing potassium, and phosphorus, producing exopolysaccharides, and converting organic matter into utilizable nutrients. They also release bioactive substances including, carbohydrates, proteins, enzymes, vitamins, and hormones, to promote plant growth, control pests, and mitigate plant stress responses. Even though it has long been known that microalgae produce various bioactive and signaling molecules (like phytohormones, polysaccharides, lipids, carotenoids, phycobilins, and amino acids) which are effective in crop production, the targeted applications of these molecules in plant science are still in the very early stages of development. Microalgae are beneficial to bacteria because they produce oxygen and extracellular chemicals, and bacteria, in turn, provide microalgae with carbon dioxide, vitamins, and other nutrients in exchange. This review discusses the possible role of microalgae in increasing crop yield, protecting crops, and maintaining soil fertility and stability, and it points out that interactions of microalgae and bacteria may have a better enhancement of crop production in a sustainable way than using either of them alone.

To achieve food security and increase crop productivity in a sustainable way, keeping soil fertile and balanced fertilization is vital. Soil fertility declining and unbalanced fertilization is one of the bottlenecks to sustainable agricultural production. To overcome these problems, a field experiment was investigated, with the aim of exploring the potential of organic and inorganic nutrient sources with their optimal application and integration for sustainable wheat production. The experiment was conducted in a factorial approach with three replications, where one factor was the level of the NP (Nitrogen and Phosphorus) fertilizer and the other compost, set in a randomized complete block design. Four levels of the N:P fertilizer (control, 27.6%:18.4%, 41.4%:32.2% and 55.2%:46%) were combined with three levels of compost (0, 3 ton/ha and 6 ton/ha), giving 12 treatments combination. From the data collected and analyzed, integrated application of the NP fertilizer and compost significantly increased soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and available phosphorus but had no effect on soil pH and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Application of 6 ton/ha compost was higher with plant height, spike length, number of seeds per spike, 1000 seeds weight, and biological yield. The sole application of the NP (55.2%:46%) produced (6.19 ton/ha) grain yield whereas combined application of the NP (55.2%:46%) along with the compost (6 ton/ha) produced the higher grain yield (8.16 ton/ha). This clearly revealed that application of 75% recommended inorganic NP fertilizers combined with compost resulted in increased wheat yield by 27.45% over sole application of inorganic fertilizer indicated that the integrated approach could enable to save up to 25% of commercial fertilizers and increase the yield of wheat.

Due to unfortunate oversight author names have been misspelt.