Trends in Soil Microbial Inoculants Research: A Science Mapping Approach to Unravel Strengths and Weaknesses of Their Application

Loredana Canfora, Corrado Costa, Federico Pallottino and Stefano Mocali
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Loredana Canfora: Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of the Agricultural Economy, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, 00182 Roma, Italy
Corrado Costa: Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of the Agricultural Economy, Research Centre for Engineering and Agro-Food Processing, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
Federico Pallottino: Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of the Agricultural Economy, Research Centre for Engineering and Agro-Food Processing, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
Stefano Mocali: Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of the Agricultural Economy, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, 50125 Cascine del Riccio, Italy

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 2, 1-21

Abstract: Microbial inoculants are widely accepted as potential alternatives or complements to chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture. However, there remains a lack of knowledge regarding their application and effects under field conditions. Thus, a quantitative description of the scientific literature related to soil microbial inoculants was conducted, adopting a science mapping approach to observe trends, strengths, and weaknesses of their application during the period of 2000–2020 and providing useful insights for future research. Overall, the study retrieved 682 publications with an increasing number during the 2015–2020 period, confirming China, India, and the U.S. as leading countries in microbial inoculants research. Over the last decade, the research field emphasized the use of microbial consortia rather than single strains, with increasing attention paid to sustainability and environmental purposes by means of multidisciplinary approaches. Among the emerging topics, terms such as “persistence” indicate the actual need for detecting and monitoring the persistence and fate of soil microbial inoculants. On the other hand, the low occurrence of terms related to failed studies as well as formulation processes may have limited the overall comprehension of the real potential of microbial inoculants to date. In conclusion, successful application of soil microbial inoculants in agriculture requires filling the fundamental knowledge gaps related to the processes that govern dynamics and interactions of the inoculants with soil and its native microbiota.

Keywords: soil; microorganisms; microbial inoculants; bio-inocula; biofertilizer; microbial inoculant detection; science mapping approach; bibliography (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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