Bacterial endophytes: Potential candidates for plant growth promotion

Abstract

Decreasing resources and enhancing needs have made the situation imperative to boost the agricultural productivity. Agrochemical mediated improvement in productivity has reached to a phase where it has more disadvantages than benefits. Degrading soil quality, water quality, polluting food chain, etc. has driven the interest for the minimal use of these agrochemicals. The moment we think of reducing agrochemical use, one must have an alternative productivity enhancer and essentially sustainable enhancer. Microorganisms have promising roles in fulfilling this need. Microbes take part in enhancing nutrient mobilization, nutrient availability and nutrient use efficiency. This makes it potential agent for partially substituting agrochemicals. Endophytes are a class of microbes living inside the plants with a complex effect in plant growth. A lot of workers have reported significance of endophytic microbes in boosting crop production and minimizing agrochemical load. In this regard, this chapter focuses on various studies conferring the constructive role of bacterial endophytes. Endophytes have tremendous roles in stimulating plant growth, inducing systemic resistance, and alleviating abiotic stresses, nutrient use efficiency, and many more. Exploring the endophytic treasure can make sizable contribution in sustainable agriculture. Understanding, inducing, and/or inoculating these bacterial endophytes can enhance plant growth and health. This chapter also deals regarding the mode of entry, colonization, and isolation techniques of bacterial endophytes, which will widen the arena of understanding about bacterial endophytes.