Lysinibacillus species: Their potential as effective bioremediation, biostimulant, and biocontrol agents

Abstract

The use of synthetic chemicals has increased drastically due to industrialization and urbanization. However, the long-term and indiscriminate use of these chemicals has a negative impact on environment and human health; thus, public concerns about the hazardous effects of such synthetic chemicals are increasing day by day. To solve these problems, the exploitation of potential alternatives has become a major challenge, and the admiration of beneficial microbes is increasing due to their safe and environment-friendly nature. Microbes can mitigate the hazardous effects of synthetic chemicals by reducing their use and toxicity. Lysinibacillus species are gram-positive, spore-forming, motile bacteria. This genus was previously designated as Bacillus spp. under the family Bacillaceae of the phylum Firmicutes. For a long period of time, Lysinibacillus is well-known for its insecticidal activity against various insects, including mosquitoes, which are the vector of several human diseases. In addition, some Lysinibacillus species have a potential for heavy metal remediation. In recent years, Lysinibacillus spp. are attracting the researchers’ attention as plant growth-promoting and disease control agents, which would be used as alternatives to agrochemicals. This study gives an overview of the entomopathogenic, bioremediation, plant growth-promoting, and biological disease control abilities of the genus Lysinibacillus.