Volume 32, Issue 2, March–April 2014, Pages 429–448
Research review paper
The role of mycorrhizae and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in improving crop productivity under stressful environments
Highlights
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- Plant growth under stress conditions
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- Strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of stresses on plants
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- Role of plant beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizae for plant adaptation to stress
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- Effectiveness of combined inoculation of PGPR and mycorrhizal fungi
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- Discussion on recent developments in PGPR–mycorrhizae–plant interactions under stress
Abstract
Both
biotic and abiotic stresses are major constrains to agricultural
production. Under stress conditions, plant growth is affected by a
number of factors such as hormonal and nutritional imbalance, ion
toxicity, physiological disorders, susceptibility to diseases, etc.
Plant growth under stress conditions may be enhanced by the application
of microbial inoculation including plant growth promoting rhizobacteria
(PGPR) and mycorrhizal fungi. These microbes can promote plant growth by
regulating nutritional and hormonal balance, producing plant growth
regulators, solubilizing nutrients and inducing resistance against plant
pathogens. In addition to their interactions with plants, these
microbes also show synergistic as well as antagonistic interactions with
other microbes in the soil environment. These interactions may be vital
for sustainable agriculture because they mainly depend on biological
processes rather than on agrochemicals to maintain plant growth and
development as well as proper soil health under stress conditions. A
number of research articles can be deciphered from the literature, which
shows the role of rhizobacteria and mycorrhizae alone and/or in
combination in enhancing plant growth under stress conditions. However,
in contrast, a few review papers are available which discuss the
synergistic interactions between rhizobacteria and mycorrhizae for
enhancing plant growth under normal (non-stress) or stressful
environments. Biological interactions between PGPR and mycorrhizal fungi
are believed to cause a cumulative effect on all rhizosphere
components, and these interactions are also affected by environmental
factors such as soil type, nutrition, moisture and temperature. The
present review comprehensively discusses recent developments on the
effectiveness of PGPR and mycorrhizal fungi for enhancing plant growth
under stressful environments. The key mechanisms involved in plant
stress tolerance and the effectiveness of microbial inoculation for
enhancing plant growth under stress conditions have been discussed at
length in this review. Growth promotion by single and dual inoculation
of PGPR and mycorrhizal fungi under stress conditions have also been
discussed and reviewed comprehensively.
Keywords
- Mycorrhizae;
- PGPR;
- Interactions;
- Stress;
- Plant;
- Growth
- Corresponding author. Tel.:
+ 92 41 9201092; fax: + 92 412409585.
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
