Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and their eco-friendly strategies for plant growth regulation: a review

Abstract

As a natural engineer, Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) play an important role in increasing plant growth, yield and enhancing plant toler-ance to stressful conditions. These beneficial bacteria take up their position in the rhizosphere, around the plants' root tissues. They may be in, or on their host tissues and help to provide nutrients to their host plants. For sus-tainable agriculture, PGPR transmit their extensive assistance in ecosystem management, soil structure maintenance, stress management and plant morphology and physiology modulation in an environmentally friendly manner. Plant- PGPR interactions also stimulate nutrient acquisition and accumulation, improve plant performance and enhance plants' tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Beside these, PGPR are good biofertilizers and safe for our environment. Nanotechnological advances with PGPR applica-tions are important today to increase the impact of PGPR in agriculture. Undoubtedly, PGPR concept is intimately involved with agriculture, horti-culture, forestry and they are too enough to establish a vibrant environ-ment. In this review we have focused on the versatility of PGPR-their perfor-mance and aimed to address some future prospects of PGPR as an eco-friendly tool for plant growth regulation.