Perspectives for sustainable agriculture from the microbiome in plant rhizosphere

Abstract

The ever-growing human population globally has resulted in the quest for solutions to the problem of hunger by providing food security. The importance of plant-root-associated microorganisms cannot be overlooked, plants rely on them. These root colonizers dominate the rhizosphere due to the abundance of available nutrients, relying on their host plant for nutrients and other essential requirements. The relationships between microbial communities and plants are controlled by the type of plant and microorganism involved. Advances in modern molecular techniques have led to the evolution of omic technology using nucleic acid molecules to study plant-microorganism associations capable of stimulating plant growth, improve yield, and induce disease suppression. This review elucidates the activities of microbial communities, especially nitrogen-fixing rhizobacteria associated with plant roots, nitrogen fixation as a mechanism of promoting plant growth, their importance, and the challenges employing bioinoculants. Prospecting plant growth promoters using omic technology will advance sustainable agriculture globally.