Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria as a Green Alternative for Sustainable Agriculture

Hema Chandran, Mukesh Meena and Prashant Swapnil
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Hema Chandran: Department of Botany, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur 313001, India
Mukesh Meena: Laboratory of Phytopathology and Microbial Biotechnology, Department of Botany, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur 313001, India
Prashant Swapnil: Department of Botany, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110007, India

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 19, 1-30

Abstract: Environmental stress is a major challenge for sustainable food production as it reduces yield by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) which pose a threat to cell organelles and biomolecules such as proteins, DNA, enzymes, and others, leading to apoptosis. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) offers an eco-friendly and green alternative to synthetic agrochemicals and conventional agricultural practices in accomplishing sustainable agriculture by boosting growth and stress tolerance in plants. PGPR inhabit the rhizosphere of soil and exhibit positive interaction with plant roots. These organisms render multifaceted benefits to plants by several mechanisms such as the release of phytohormones, nitrogen fixation, solubilization of mineral phosphates, siderophore production for iron sequestration, protection against various pathogens, and stress. PGPR has the potential to curb the adverse effects of various stresses such as salinity, drought, heavy metals, floods, and other stresses on plants by inducing the production of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase. Genetically engineered PGPR strains play significant roles to alleviate the abiotic stress to improve crop productivity. Thus, the present review will focus on the impact of PGPR on stress resistance, plant growth promotion, and induction of antioxidant systems in plants.

Keywords: plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria; siderophore; stress resistance; enzyme; phytohormone; induced systemic resistance; gene expression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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