"Beneficial microorganisms for sustainable agriculture"

Abstract

Global agriculture has to double food production by 2050 in order to feed the world’s growing population and at the same time reduce its reliance on inorganic fertilisers and pesticides. To achieve this goal, there is an urgent need to harness the multiple beneficial interactions that occur between plants and microorganisms. The beneficial influences of microorganisms on plant growth include nitrogen fixation, acquisition and uptake of major nutrients, promotion of shoot and root growth, disease control or suppression and improved soil structure. Some of the commonly promoted and used beneficial microorganisms in agriculture worldwide include Rhizobia, Mycorrhizae, Azospirillum, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Trichoderma, Streptomyces species and many more. Unravelling the biota black box using modern molecular methods is helping to find new suites of beneficial microorganisms that can help improve agricultural production worldwide.