Actinobacteria in Agricultural and Environmental Sustainability

Abstract

The advent of green revolution or high input agrotechnologies have led to self-reliance in food production. Modern agriculture methods are getting increasingly dependent on the steady supply of synthetic inorganic fertilizers and pesticides, which are products of fossil fuels. There is an increasing concern about the excessive dependence on the supply of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and the adverse effects of the indiscriminate use of synthetic inputs in soil productivity and environmental quality. The cumulative effect of environmental degradation due to application of agrochemicals has led to a decline in food production during the last two decades. In order to overcome these adverse effects, there is an urgent need to develop new strategies for ensuring further growth in agricultural output. By adapting a strategy involving integrated supply of nutrients from a combination of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, organic manures, and biofertilizers and biopesticides, the soil can be saved from further impoverishment and environmental degradation. The use of microbes as bioinoculants for promoting plant growth and/or bioremediation purposes gives a new dimension to agricultural and environmental biotechnology. Actinobacteria are considered as the most prominent source of bioactive compounds (antibiotics, enzymes, and plant growth modulators) facilitating plant growth promotion and plant disease suppression. Attempts are being made to utilize actinobacteria that produce antibiotics and agro-active compounds as biofertilizers and biopesticides; these aids in mitigating the use of harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Besides making agriculture systems sustainable, soil inhabiting actinobacteria play important roles in various ecological processes such as organic matter decomposition and toxic pollutant and heavy metal bioremediation, thus contributing to the restoration of soil fertility and environmental sustainability.