Abstract
The conventional means of achieving enhanced agricultural productivity are not ecologically balanced and sustainable. The excessive use of synthetic agrochemicals, declining soil nutrients, and water-use issues, amongst others, are threats to the ecosystem. Additionally, environmental degradation and an increasing global population that will reach 9 billion by 2030 are further considerations. These issues mean a decline in the volume of food resources available to feed the world. Therefore, sustainably increasing agricultural productivity is a necessity for restoring soil fertility, feeding the populace, and improving the ecosystem. A way to achieve this is by using eco-friendly microbial inoculants. Endophytes inhabit the tissues of plants asymptomatically without causing adverse effects. Bacterial and fungal endophytes benefit plants by promoting growth, suppressing pathogens, and improving the stress tolerance and immunity of plants. Despite this vital role played by endophytes in their interactions with host plants, there is still a paucity of relevant review data. More importantly, the prospective use of endophytes as an alternative to synthetic agrochemicals to ensure agro-ecological crop productivity has not been well reviewed in the literature. Therefore, this review sought to highlight the potential use of endophytic microbial resources to achieve enhancements in agro-food system crops in a sustainable manner.
Highlights
The global community is faced with constraints that adversely affect sustainable and eco-friendly agricultural productivity
Various investigative studies have alluded to the huge agro-biotechnological potential use of endophytic bacteria as bio-inoculants to achieve a sustainable, eco-friendly, and enduring agricultural production system
Bacterial and fungal endophytes have been shown to have great potential as an eco-friendly, natural resource that can be applied in agri-food production to allow for the intensification of crop cultivation and thereby improve levels of agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability
Summary
The global community is faced with constraints that adversely affect sustainable and eco-friendly agricultural productivity. The intensification of sustainable agriculture is necessary for the achievement of an increase in productivity and maintenance of the ecological balance This will translate into higher crop yields owing to improvements in plant resilience and the ability of plants to adapt to changing climatic conditions, as well as to biotic and abiotic stress shocks [8]. A cheaper, more eco-friendly and sustainable means of achieving agricultural intensification and improving productivity is by adopting the use of microbial inoculants to enhance the availability and use of vital soil nutrients These inoculants are extremely useful in mitigating both abiotic and biotic stresses in planted crops [11]. This review sought to highlight the important roles that microbial resources play and their potential to enhance the production of agro-food crops in a sustainable and eco-friendly manner
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