Use of Plant-Associated Bacillus Strains as Biofertilizers and Biocontrol Agents in Agriculture

Abstract

Plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) offer an environment-friendly and efficient alternative to chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Among them, endospore-forming bacilli are especially attractive because their long-term stability is comparable with that of agrochemicals. Although their use is steadily increasing, exploiting of these biologicals is still limited by insufficient knowledge about the mechanisms underlying plant growth promotion and biological control. However, in recent years, some progress was made in uncovering molecular mechanisms responsible for beneficial interactions between PGP bacilli and plants. We describe here some aspects of the plant–PGP bacilli relationship in light of the genomic data recently obtained from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, and propose to choose B. amyloliquefaciens FZB42 as a paradigm for further research on PGP bacilli.