Microbial inoculants for sustainable crop management

Abstract

Sustainability in agriculture without compromising environmental quality, agro-ecosystem function, and diversity conservation is among the major concerns of present-day agriculture worldwide. The unseen microbial communities play a vital role for solving various problems of today’s agriculture. They can equally benefit crop production and protection systems, food security, public health, and social well-being. Both pathogenic and beneficial microorganisms constitute a key living component of soil and plant system managing ecological balance, ecosystem function, agricultural productivity, crop quality and human wellness, and livestock health. PGPR-mediated stress mitigation in plants is reported for different crops across the world. Commercial use of microbial inoculants for improving crop growth and productivity under stressed environments could constitute a prominently viable and sustainable approach for enhancing agricultural productivity.