Realities and hopes in the application of microbial tools in agriculture

Abstract

Summary The use of microbial tools to sustainably increase agricultural production has received significant attention from researchers, industries and policymakers. Over the past decade, the market access and development of microbial products have been accelerated by (i) the recent advances in plant‐associated microbiome science, (ii) the pressure from consumers and policymakers for increasing crop productivity and reducing the use of agrochemicals, (iii) the rising threats of biotic and abiotic stresses, (iv) the loss of efficacy of some agrochemicals and plant breeding programs and (v) the calls for agriculture to contribute towards mitigating climate change. Although the sector is still in its infancy, the path towards effective microbial products is taking shape and the global market of these products has increased faster than that of agrochemicals. Promising results from using microbes either as biofertilizers or biopesticides have been continually reported, fuelling optimism and high expectations for the sector. However, some limitations, often related to low efficacy and inconsistent performance in field conditions, urgently need to be addressed to promote a wider use of microbial tools. We propose that advances in in situ microbiome manipulation approaches, such as the use of products containing synthetic microbial communities and novel prebiotics, have great potential to overcome some of these current constraints. Much more progress is expected in the development of microbial inoculants as areas such as synthetic biology and nano‐biotechnology advance. If key technical, translational and regulatory issues are addressed, microbial tools will not only play an important role in sustainably boosting agricultural production over the next few decades but also contribute towards other sustainable development goals, including job creation and mitigation of the impacts of climate change.

Synthetic community improves crop performance and alters rhizosphere microbial communities

“…Plant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) applications can exert multiple plant‐beneficial functions such as phytohormone provision, nutrient solubilisation (Mukherjee et al, 2020; Trivedi et al, 2011). PGPR‐mediated plant performance and fitness often result in improved resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses (Batista & Singh, 2021; Mukherjee et al, 2020; Qiu et al, 2019; Trivedi et al, 2011).…”

Fighting climate change: soil bacteria communities and topography play a role in plant colonization of desert areas

“…Owing to the development of next‐generation sequencing technology, researchers are able to use the sequencing results to quickly find plant‐associated microbiomes without having to culture microbial strains. This provides the opportunity to explore in situ microbiome manipulation approaches (Batista and Singh, 2021). In this study, the keystone OTUs associated with desert plants colonization are identified through the construction of co‐occurrence networks, and this novel idea helps to facilitate the establishment of a key microbiome for raising high desert crop yields.…”

The legacy of microbial inoculants in agroecosystems and potential for tackling climate change challenges

“…Increasing or even maintaining crop yields is becoming more difficult with the need to decrease the environmental footprint of agricultural practices and their potential effects on climate change ( Brisson et al., 2010 ; Pe'er et al., 2014 ; Smit and Skinner, 2002 ). With a faster-growing global market compared to agrochemicals ( Batista and Singh, 2021 ), microbial inoculants, (i.e., beneficial microorganisms or mixtures of microorganisms applied to either the soil or the plant to improve soil quality and crop productivity; hereafter called soil inoculants and plant-based inoculants, respectively), are gaining importance in enhancing the sustainability of agroecosystems. For instance, plant-based inoculants contribute to higher plant growth, yield, resistance to abiotic (e.g., higher plant resistance to drought), and biotic (e.g., soil-borne pathogens) stresses (reviewed in ( Bashan, 1998 ; Vejan et al., 2016 )).…”