Chapter 10 - Toward the mitigation of biotic and abiotic stresses through plant growth promoting rhizobacteria

Abstract

Both biotic and abiotic stresses are major limits to agricultural production. Under stress conditions, plant growth is affected by a number of factors such as hormonal and nutritional imbalance, ion toxicity, physiological disorders, susceptibility to diseases, etc. Plant growth under stress conditions may be enhanced by the application of microbial inoculation including plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and mycorrhizal fungi. These microbes can promote plant growth by regulating nutritional and hormonal balance, phytohormones and synthesizing some compounds or enzymes that can develop plant growth, solubilizing minerals such as phosphorus and inducing resistance against stresses. This environmentally friendly bacterial population is effective in promoting crops productivity under stress conditions. The present review comprehensively discusses recent developments on the effectiveness of PGPR for enhancing plant growth under stressful environments. The key mechanisms involved in plant stress tolerance and the effectiveness of microbial inoculation for enhancing plant growth under stress conditions have been discussed at length in this review.