Phosphate-Mobilizing Microorganisms: 1. Biodiversity, Influence on Plants Mineral Nutrition and Productivity

Abstract

Phosphorus is an essential plant nutrient involved in plants’ growth and development, accelerated formation of reproductive organs and other important factors for obtaining high and stable crop yields and, therefore, high-quality products. Easily absorbed phosphorus compounds obtained from soil or fertilizers are the most valuable for plants. One of the promising directions for improving the phosphorus nutrition of agricultural crops is biological phosphate mobilization that is carried out by soil microorganisms – bacteria and filamentous fungi (micromycetes). They contribute to the conversion of poorly soluble phosphorus compounds into forms accessible to higher plants. The effect of microorganisms on plants in terms of improving their mineral nutrition, in particular phosphorus, was reviewed in this article. We analysed domestic and foreign literature sources (over the last 15 years) focused on the biodiversity of soil phosphate-mobilizing microorganisms and their influence on converting insoluble phosphate to soluble forms. The features of the mechanisms of biotransformation of organic and mineral phosphates by soil microorganisms and the main criteria for screening effective isolates able to convert poorly soluble phosphorus compounds into forms available for plants were described in detail. This review also demonstrates that several microorganisms belonging to different taxonomic groups (bacteria and micromycetes) are recognized as powerful phosphate solubilizers or bioconverters of poorly soluble phosphorus compounds into water-soluble forms. We also surveyed scientific works, in which the practical application of effective strains of microorganisms that transform unavailable phosphorus compounds into available for plants was studied; and those, in which the role of microorganisms in increasing the availability of phosphorus for agricultural plants and their productivity improvement was demonstrated. A comprehensive description of microbial preparations “Agrofil”, “Biovays”, “Ekophosphorin”, “Ekovital”, “Biophosphorin”, “Albobacterin”, “Polymiksobacterin”, “Agrobacterin”, “Phosphostim”, “Fitostimophos”, “Agromik”, “Baktopin” based on phosphate-mobilizing microorganisms, developed and used in various countries to optimize mineral nutrition of cultivated plants, is given.