Biofertilizers and Biopesticides: Microbes for Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

Human efforts to develop agriculture have been known for a long time. Since becoming aware of the importance of this field, farmers and researchers have not ceased looking for methods and products to improve crop productivity and quality and to protect it from various aggressions and stress that it might undergo. Mechanisms using microbes as biofertilizers and biocontrol agents have been adopted recently as an alternative to agrochemicals. The use of beneficial microbes is an environment-friendly strategy, which play a major role in the stimulation of plant growth and in the biocontrol of plant pathogens. A better understanding of the use of these bacterial populations could allow a reduction of chemical inputs and pollutant pesticides in agricultural soils. The present review is limited to plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB); it summarizes the role of PGPB in soil fertilization and plant protection with a special emphasis on their mechanisms of action. Several examples of PGPB chosen from the literature are cited in this chapter. This review includes also examples of the agricultural application of these microbes.