The Art of Amalgamation: Advancing Crop Productivity with PGPR Consortia Solutions

Nishra Joshi^1,2, Bhargav Raval^1,3and Chaitanya Kumar Jha^2*

¹Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University School of Science Gujarat University, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

²Department of Microbiology, Gujarat Arts and Science College, Ellisbridge,Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

³Central Laboratory, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.

Corresponding Author E-mail:chaitanyakjha@gmail.com

Abstract:

Rhizobacterial communities that colonize the plant roots, known to have a plant-specific influence that can aid the plant with growth enhancement or eliminate pathogens or improve production is known as the Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR). Consortia i.e. mixture of two or more microorganisms, remain the lesser-known territory of PGPR till the recent decade, is now open with opportunities. PGPR consortia offer a sustainable approach to boost agricultural productivity by enhancing plant growth, increasing crop yields by 15–30%, and improving nutrient uptake efficiency, with up to 90% for nitrogen and approximately 70% for phosphorus. They also provide biocontrol against pathogens and increase crop stress tolerance under adverse conditions like drought, salinity, and heavy metal contamination by 20–40%. These benefits, mediated by the secretion of exopolysaccharides, ACC deaminase and other bioactive metabolites, are driven by key rhizobacterial species such as Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Enterobacter, Azotobacter etc. which promote plant health, enhance soil quality and support sustainable farming practices.   A microbial consortium strengthens the capability of partner and also accomplishes the challenging task with the aid of beneficial relationship with their counterpart in consortia which could be potentially impossible to achieve using monocultures. These results can be enhanced by the use of a pertinent combination of rhizobacteria in consortia wherein individual bacteria is involved in the synergistic relationship with each other that ultimately reflectigng in overall efficiency. PGPR consortia improve soil health by enriching nutrient cycling, fostering beneficial microbial activity, suppressing pathogens, and enhancing resilience to environmental stresses. Therefore, much of recent research on PGPR is inclining towards consortia for its vast possibilities of applicability in the agriculture field. In this chapter, we advocate experimenting on a diverse range of PGPR to produce more and more efficient consortia that possibly could produce manifold results than the traditional monoculture PGPR. This chapter also highlights plant growth-promoting microbial consortia as a tool for orchestration of crops for improved production and outstanding yield.

Keywords:

Biofertilizers,Eco-friendly; Microbial consortia; Plant growth promoting consortia (PGPC); Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR); Sustainable agriculture

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