Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria: A Probiotic for Plant Health and Productivity

Abstract

Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms that provide health benefits when consumed in adequate amount. The positive influence of probiotics is not confined to human health sector; even the plants can get benefit from the microbes residing in their native habitat. The beneficial microorganisms which exert health-promoting and nutritional benefits on plants are called plant probiotics. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are right choice to be used as probiotics for agricultural crops as they not only stimulate plant growth and productivity but they also protect plants from diseases and various types of stresses. Plant probiotic PGPR facilitate the plant growth directly by helping in acquisition of essential nutrients and production of phytohormones or indirectly by acting as biocontrol agent. Beneficial effects of inoculation of plant probiotics in agricultural crops include increases in yield, chlorophyll content, protein content, nutrient uptake, and seed germination rate, improved soil health, biocontrol, tolerance to abiotic stress, etc. The use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria as plant probiotics contributes to increasing the agronomic efficiency by improving plant health and productivity in an environmental friendly and sustainable manner, decreasing dependence on chemical fertilizers. The use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria with probiotic potential as microbial inoculants will be a sustainable approach to improve plant health and productivity in an eco-friendly manner.