Soil and phytomicrobiomes for plant growth and soil fertility

Abstract

Soil is the basic requirement for agriculture crop production and simultaneously the microbial activity is important to improve soil health for healthy crop growth because microbial communities play an important role in building a complex link between plants and soil. Microbiomes from plants, soil and extreme environments are naturally gifted with amazing capabilities which play significant roles in the maintenance of global nutrient balance and ecosystem functions. The microbiomes from diverse niches have in fact emerged as potential tools for improving the plant growth and productivity by diverse mechanisms include solubilization of nutrients, nitrogen fixation, hormonal stimulation as well as biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. Further, these microbiomes have an immense potential to maintain soil health and fertility. Thus, dependent on their mode of action and effects, these microbiomes can be used as biofertilizers, biopesticides, plant strengtheners, and phytostimulators which will play a major role in improving productivity and achieving sustainability in an eco-friendly, economical and cost effective manner.

Toward sustainable space exploration: a roadmap for harnessing the power of microorganisms

“…For example, the plant microbiome will play a pivotal role in the success of crop production in space. As with the human microbiome, the plant-associated microbial community provides a multitude of benefits to the host, such as promoting plant growth, stimulating phytohormone production, controlling pathogens, regulating immune function, and alleviating abiotic and biotic stressors 29 . Symbiotic bacteria are also essential in solubilizing nutrients from the environment and converting them into bioavailable forms, and improving soil fertility 29 , 30 .…”

“…As with the human microbiome, the plant-associated microbial community provides a multitude of benefits to the host, such as promoting plant growth, stimulating phytohormone production, controlling pathogens, regulating immune function, and alleviating abiotic and biotic stressors 29 . Symbiotic bacteria are also essential in solubilizing nutrients from the environment and converting them into bioavailable forms, and improving soil fertility 29 , 30 . Nitrogen recovery for food production can, for instance, be accomplished by microbial-mediated nitrogen fixation from the atmosphere, or nitrification of urine, mediated by synthetic microbial communities (see section ‘Human waste processing and reclamation’) 31 .…”

Minerals Solubilizing Microbes for Agricultural Sustainability

“…Mineral solubilizing microbes exhibit various numbers of mechanisms, which enhances the growth of plant directly and indirectly. Solubilization is the main mechanism that mineral solubilizing microbe's exhibits in which several nutrients such as P, K, Zn, Se and silicon are converted from insoluble to soluble form [8,9]. The solubilization further achieved through the production of pH lowering compounds including organic acid such as α-ketogluconic acid, acetic, oxalic, fumaric acid, formic acid, carboxylic acid, glyoxalic acid, gluconic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, pyruvic acid, propionic acid, succinic acid and tartaric acid [8].…”

Potassium-Solubilizing Microorganisms for Agricultural Sustainability

“…The role of beneficial soil and plant microbiomes in promotion of plant growth and in amelioration of stress has been well documented. Soil and plant microbiomes enhance the fitness of plants under abiotic and biotic stress by different mechanisms [19,20]. The microbial solubilization of K under the stress conditions is one of the mechanisms for increasing the availability of K for the plants.…”