Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria formulations and its scope in commercialization for the management of pests and diseases

Abstract

The export oriented agricultural and horticultural crops depends on the export of residue free produce and has created a great potential and demand for the incorporation of biopesticides in crop protection. To ensure the sustained availability of biocontrol agent's mass production technique and formulation development protocols has to be standardized to increase the shelf life of the formulation. It facilitates the industries to involve in commercial production of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). PGPR with wide scope for commercialization includes Pseudomonas fluorescens, P. putida, P. aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and other Bacillus spp. The potential PGPR isolates are formulated using different organic and inorganic carriers either through solid or liquid fermentation technologies. They are delivered either through seed treatment, bio-priming, seedling dip, soil application, foliar spray, fruit spray, hive insert, sucker treatment and sett treatment. Application of PGPR formulations with strain mixtures perform better than individual strains for the management of pest and diseases of crop plants, in addition to plant growth promotion. Supplementation of chitin in the formulation increases the efficacy of antagonists. More than 33 products of PGPR have been registered for commercial use in greenhouse and field in North America. Though PGPR has a potential scope in commercialization, the threat of certain PGPR (P. aeruginosa, P. cepacia and B. cereus) to infect human beings as opportunistic pathogens has to be clarified before large scale acceptance, registration and adoption of PGPR for pest and disease management. © 2006 Springer.