Abstract
With rapid advances in microbial discovery and inoculant technology, the realm of microbial inoculants has seen a significant shift from the conventional range of microbes viz., Rhizobium, Azospirillum, Azotobacter, etc. to include a wide range of bacterial and fungal genera that colonize the rhizosphere and promote plant growth in a myriad fashion. Such microbial strains with beneficial traits have been included under the umbrella terminologies of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) and Plant Growth Promoting Rhizofungi (PGRF). While this is definitely a welcome step, it brings along with it a host of pertinent questions, of which the biosafety of the microbial strains used for inoculant formulation is of paramount importance. This rationalization becomes imperative in the present scenario, where the etiology and pathogenesis of several hitherto unknown or lesser known bacterial species are being deciphered, and opportunistic pathogenic properties are being attributed to several commonly occurring environmental microbes. Another issue that needs to be factored in this paradigm is the possible horizontal gene transfer between naturally occurring microbes and the introduced inoculant strains. This assumes significance since horizontal gene transfer amongst organisms plays a larger role in the context of environmental protection and evolving antibiotic resistance. Hence a judicious analysis of the benefits and risks associated with novel microbial inoculants need to be addressed, before its eventual usage. Therefore it is imperative for microbiologist’s agronomists and plant protection scientists to be aware about the latest trends in biosafety, in order to make informed decisions in their day to day work. Hence this article will primarily focus on the need for ensuring the biosafety of the newer bioinoculants, and the relevant regulatory frameworks that are in place internationally.
Highlights
The term biosafety can be broadly described as the measures that need to be taken up for the prevention of large-scale loss of biological integrity, with a primary focus on both ecology and human health
It is to be noted here that though biosafety primarily focuses on human health, the well-being of the ecosystem and its biological integrity are of paramount importance
A guiding principle for this exercise is the classification of infectious agents into risk groups by the World Health Organization (WHO), which proposed a four tier classification of infectious organisms [3], as described below
Summary
The term biosafety can be broadly described as the measures that need to be taken up for the prevention of large-scale loss of biological integrity, with a primary focus on both ecology and human health It can be described as the containment principles, technologies and practices that are implemented to prevent unintentional exposure to pathogens and toxins, or their accidental release in the environment [1]. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety makes clear that products from new technologies must be based on the precautionary principle and thereby allows developing nations to balance public health and economic benefits This “precautionary principle” when applied for risk assessment and containment of potentially harmful organisms, can serve as an excellent guideline for national level risk profiling and hazard alleviation. Individual nations are at liberty to legislate on the restrictions that are to be put in place for ensuring the wellbeing of the population and environment
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