Leveraging Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria for Sustainable Agriculture and Environment: An Overview
Rashmi Jain
Department of Biotechnology, Veer Madho Singh Bhandari Uttarakhand Technical University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand – 248001, India.
Devendra Singh *
Department of Agriculture Sciences, JBIT College of Applied Sciences, Sankarpur, Dehradun, Uttarakhand- 248001, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The term ''soil health'' refers to specific qualities of soil that allow it to support crop growth and productivity over time without harming the environment. Healthy soil contains abundant microorganisms, including plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), which perform various beneficial functions in the rhizosphere. PGPR aid in nutrient cycling and uptake prevents the growth of harmful plant pathogens, stimulates plant immunity, and directly enhances plant growth by producing phytohormones and other compounds. They also can clean up soil pollution through bioremediation. This article overviews examines literature on how PGPR contributes to maintaining soil health and reducing the need for toxic agrochemicals. Ultimately, the goal is to promote more sustainable agriculture practices using PGPR as biocontrol agents, plant growth stimulators, and rhizoremediators.
Keywords: PGPR, biofertilizer, bioinoculant, rhizosphere, sustainable agriculture, sustainable environment, soil fertility