Microbial inoculants for drought stress tolerance

Abstract

Temperature, rain, humidity, wind, and solar radiation are all climatic factors that affect agricultural activities. While some agricultural areas of the world are irrigated, the vast majority rely on natural rainfall patterns. Farmers will consume more water as a result of climate change and experience less water availability, resulting in a decrease in production capacity. As one of the most important natural phenomena affecting agricultural productivity, drought is a limiting environment for plant growth. Bacteria have been shown to reduce water stress in these plant species and promote greater growth by regulating gene expression and the integration of hormones. Phytohormones modulation, stress-induced enzymatic apparatus, and metabolites are integrated into the root-to-shoot phenotypic changes in growth rate, architecture, hydraulic conductivity, water conservation, plant cell protection, and damage restoration. By demonstrating how plant growth-promoting bacteria can mitigate plant stress and provide examples of technology conversion in agroecosystems, this review illustrates how water stress can be mitigated.