Microbial Biofertilisers in Plant Production and Resistance: A Review

Domenico Prisa (), Roberto Fresco and Damiano Spagnuolo
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Domenico Prisa: CREA, Research Centre for Vegetable and Ornamental Crops, Via Dei Fiori 8, 51012 Pescia, Italy
Roberto Fresco: CREA, Research Centre for Engineering and Agri-Food Transformation, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Via della Pascolare 16, 00016 Monterotondo, Italy
Damiano Spagnuolo: Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Salita Sperone 31, 98166 Messina, Italy

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: In sustainable agriculture, plant nutrients are the most important elements. Biofertilisers introduce microorganisms that improve the nutrient status of plants and increase their accessibility to crops. To meet the demands of a growing population, it is necessary to produce healthy crops using the right type of fertilisers to provide them with all the key nutrients they need. However, the increasing dependence on chemical fertilisers is destroying the environment and negatively affecting human health. Therefore, it is believed that the use of microbes as bioinoculants, used together with chemical fertilisers, is the best strategy to increase plant growth and soil fertility. In sustainable agriculture, these microbes bring significant benefits to crops. In addition to colonising plant systems (epiphytes, endophytes and rhizospheres), beneficial microbes play a key role in the uptake of nutrients from surrounding ecosystems. Microorganisms, especially fungi, also play a protective function in plants, enhancing the responses of defence systems, and play a key role in situations related to soil iron deficiency or phosphorous solubilisation. Plant-associated microbes can thus promote plant growth regardless of natural and extreme conditions. The most frequently used strategies for growth-promoting microorganisms are nitrogen fixation, the production of growth hormones, siderophores, HCN, various hydrolytic enzymes and the solubilisation of potassium, zinc and phosphorous. Research on biofertilisers has been extensive and available, demonstrating how these microbes can provide crops with sufficient nutrients to increase yields. This review examines in detail the direct and indirect mechanisms of PGPR action and their interactions in plant growth and resistance.

Keywords: microbial biofertilisers; microbial symbioses; plant interactions; crop resistance; plant stimulation; sustainable agriculture (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: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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