Chapter 5 - The potential of endophytes to sustain plant performance in a climate change scenario

Abstract

To improve plant growth performance concerning tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses and to meet food demands, identifying the factors governing plant efficiency is crucial in the context of climate change. Furthermore, consumer awareness of the harmful effects of agrochemicals on the environment and human health calls for alternative strategies in crop management practices. The microbial endophytes may produce several substances that could have potential use in agriculture, industry, and medicine. Therefore, this chapter discussed the beneficial role of different microbial endophyte species as growth promoters, tolerance to stresses (biotic or abiotic), and orchestrating the overall plant fitness to cope with adverse environmental stresses. Endophytes help host plants cope with adverse environmental conditions by following direct or indirect mechanisms. This chapter focuses on four themes that are reflected in the recent expanding literature regarding the role of microbial endophytes in the plant’s life cycle as well as their importance in stresses mitigations: (1) overview of beneficial endophytes to colonize plant host; (2) the key beneficial roles of endophytes as nutrient suppliers and plant growth promoters; (3) their capacity to induce tolerance to abiotic stresses considering concerns with climate change (4) their main mechanisms in inducing resistance in plant in harsh environmental conditions. Thus, the application of endophytic microorganisms could be helpful in different regions for sustainable agricultural production.