Sustainable Improvement of Productivity and Quality of Agricultural Crops Using a Microbial Consortium

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Excessive consumption of chemical fertilizerchemical fertilizer for improving the yield and health of agricultural cropsagricultural crops eliminates the ecosystemecosystem balance in the water and soil environment. For the environmental concerns and high cost of chemical fertilizer, the production of biological fertilizersfertilizers has been considered. In sustainable agricultural systems, microbial inoculantsmicrobial inoculants have special importance in increasing productivity and sustainable soil fertility management. The use of microbial inoculants leads to stability of soil resources, maintains long-term production capacity, and prevents environmental pollution. Decades of research in greenhouse and field conditions have shown that these inoculants are more effective on plants’ growth when used as a consortium. In addition to the individual effects of microorganisms, productivity and quality of agricultural crops can be improved by inoculation with other microorganisms due to their synergistic effects. The association of different organisms in microbial consortiummicrobial consortium enhances fertility and health status of soil for the growth of legume and non-legumenon-legume plants. This chapter presents an overview of recent researches on the soil microbial consortiamicrobial consortia, mechanisms, and their impact on improving the productivity and quality of agricultural crops.