2 - Impact of potassium solubilizing fungi as biopesticides and its role in crop improvement

Abstract

Potassium is one of the major plant nutrients influencing plant growth but potassium in non-exchangeable phases cannot be availed by plants. On the one hand, depletion in soil potassium directly affects agriculture crops, and also the emergence of various phytopathogens causes a detrimental effect on crop yield. On the other hand, the use of agrochemicals has increased the risk of human health and environment, therefore a need for an alternative strategy that enhances agriculture production without disturbing the environment is of growing concern. Microorganisms are directly responsible for the recycling of essential nutrients in agriculture soil; various microorganisms are involved to control phytopathogens and also promote plant growth. Therefore, the study of microorganisms that perform multiple tasks like potassium solubilizing, biopesticide, and plant growth promoter is of paramount importance. In this chapter, the impact of potassium solubilizing fungi as biopesticides and its role in crop improvement has been discussed. This study elaborates the use of Penicillium and Aspergillus species as the efficient microbial inoculant for the solubilization of potassium and as the potential biological control agent against the various pathogen of different agriculture crops. Potassium solubilizing fungi could play a vital role in agriculture by providing an indigenous source of potassium for plant uptake, to control pathogens, and to improve the quality of crops by producing plant growth promoters.