Abstract
Coffee is an important, high-value crop because its roasted beans are used to produce popular beverages that are consumed worldwide. Coffee plantations exist in over 70 countries and constitute the main economic activity of approximately 125 million people. Currently, there is global concern regarding the excessive use of agrochemicals and pesticides in agriculture, including coffee crops. This situation has motivated researchers, administrators, and farmers to seek ecologically friendly alternatives to decrease the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. In the last decades, multiple studies of the rhizosphere, at the chemical, physical and biological levels, have improved our understanding of the importance of beneficial microorganisms to plant health and growth. This review aims to summarize the state of the use of plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM) in coffee production, where the most extensively studied microorganisms are beneficial plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). This review also contains information on PGPM, in regard to plantations at different latitudes, isolation techniques, mass multiplication, formulation methods, and the application of PGPM in nurseries, monoculture, and coffee agroforestry systems. Finally, this review focuses on relevant research performed during the last decade that can help us improve sustainable coffee production.
Highlights
The soil is a complex system where multiple physical, chemical, and biological processes occur
Plant growth-promoting microorganisms that are associated with coffee are important components of microbial biomass under monoculture and agroforestry systems in all geographical areas where coffee is cropped
Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria can support increased nitrogen fixation, which is especially relevant for the growth of coffee plants
Summary
The soil is a complex system where multiple physical, chemical, and biological processes occur. Alcarraz et al [22] reported PGPR strains of the genera Azospirillum, Pseudomonas, and Burkholderia, while Muleta et al [27] described a diversity of bacterial genera associated with coffee plants, including Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Erwinia, Ochrobactrum, and Serratia spp. Strains displaying plant growth-promoting traits, such as those described by Alcarraz et al [22] and Muleta et al [27], have not been reported in the formulation of biofertilizers, and have received much less evaluation under field conditions and in agricultural systems with Coffea arabica. Aguirre-Medina et al [36] reported the use of a biofertilizer based on the bacterial strain Azospirillum spp., inoculated in coffee plants in Mexico, and its application showed positive effects on plant growth and development. More studies are required to evaluate bacterial survival under nursery and field conditions, as well as to determine the response and compatibility of different crops, such as Coffea arabica, to the application of biological inoculants [34]
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