Techniques for Improving Microbial Inoculants as a Tool for Sustainable Development

Abstract

Increased use of chemical fertilizers to support crop production has resulted in global soil, water, and air pollution. It is generally agreed that the only solution is to improve the exploitation of beneficial bacteria that play a key role in increasing the supply of inaccessible minerals to plants in uninterrupted soil conditions. Main attention is paid to biotechnologies that are not completely used as tools for the production of biofertilizers, such as microbial co-immobilization and co-cultivation. Biotechnological processing and combined use of active microorganisms/organic compounds (biostimulants) such as plant extracts and exudates, not only promotes plant growth and development but also plant-bacterial interactions. This chapter focuses on the improvement in the techniques for development and formulation of microbial inoculants as well as the most significant potential and innovative strategies in this area are discussed.