Rhizobia: A Promising Source of Plant Growth-Promoting Molecules and Their Non-Legume Interactions: Examining Applications and Mechanisms

Sara Fahde (), Said Boughribil, Badreddine Sijilmassi and Ahmed Amri
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Sara Fahde: Rhizobium Laboratory, Genetic Resources Section, ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Area), Agdal, Rabat 10080, Morocco
Said Boughribil: Laboratory of Virology, Oncology, Biosciences, Environment and New Energies (LVO BEEN), Mohammedia 28806, Morocco
Badreddine Sijilmassi: Rhizobium Laboratory, Genetic Resources Section, ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Area), Agdal, Rabat 10080, Morocco
Ahmed Amri: Rhizobium Laboratory, Genetic Resources Section, ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Area), Agdal, Rabat 10080, Morocco

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-21

Abstract: For over a century, the scientific community has had a comprehensive understanding of how rhizobia can promote the growth of legumes by forming nitrogen fixing nodules. Despite this knowledge, the interaction of rhizobia with non-legumes has remained largely ignored as a subject of study until more recent decades. In the last few years, research has shown that rhizobia can also associate with non-legume roots, which ultimately leads to the stimulation of growth through diverse direct and indirect mechanisms. For example, rhizobia can enhance growth through phytohormones production, the improvement of plant nutrient uptake, such as the solubilization of precipitated phosphorus, the production of siderophores to address iron needs, and also the reduction of ethylene levels through the ACC deaminase enzyme to cope with drought stress. Additionally, rhizobia can improve, indirectly, non-legume growth through biocontrol of pathogens and the induction of systemic resistance in the host plant. It can also increase root adherence to soil by releasing exopolysaccharides, which regulate water and soil nutrient movement. The objective of this review is to assess and analyze the existing knowledge and information regarding the mechanisms through which rhizobia promote the growth of non-legumes. By conducting a comprehensive analysis of these findings, we aim to gain new insights into the development of Rhizobium /non-legume interactions.

Keywords: Rhizobium; PGPR; legumes; non-legumes; symbiosis; biofertilizers (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
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