by What are Agricultural Microbials?
These microbes act as biofertilizers and biopesticides and help improve nutrient availability, stress tolerance, and disease suppression in agricultural systems. Some common types of microbials used in sustainable agriculture include rhizobia, mycorrhizal fungi, Trichoderma, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Streptomyces.
Role of Rhizobia in Biological Nitrogen Fixation
Rhizobia are soil bacteria that form symbiotic root nodules with legume plants like peas, beans, clover and alfalfa. Inside these nodules, the rhizobia are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen into a form that is directly usable by the legume as a nutrient. This biological nitrogen fixation process reduces the need for chemical nitrogen fertilizers which are energy-intensive to produce. Rhizobia inoculants containing effective strains are often applied to legume seeds or soil to maximize nitrogen fixation. This not only improves legume growth and yield but also enriches the soil with nitrogen that can be utilized by subsequent non-legume crops.
Mycorrhizal Fungi – Soil Conditioners and Plant Protectors
Mycorrhizal fungi form symbiotic associations with the roots of most plant species. They increase the absorptive surface area of fine root hairs and transfer nutrients like phosphorus, zinc and copper from soil to plant more efficiently. Agricultural Microbials Mycorrhizal fungi also act as biological soil conditioners by improving soil structure and water-holding capacity. Additionally,they confer many indirect benefits to plants like increased tolerance to drought, heat, cold, diseases and other environmental stresses. Commercial inoculums containing spores and hyphae fragments of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) or ectomycorrhizal fungi are often used to revitalize degraded soils and support sustainable crop production systems.
Role of Beneficial Bacteria in Disease Suppression
Certain plant growth-promoting bacteria like Trichoderma, Bacillus and Pseudomonas, when applied as seed treatment or soil amendment, can suppress soil-borne pathogens and reduce the incidence and severity of diseases caused by fungi, bacteria or nematodes. For example, Trichoderma harzianum produces antibiotics that directly inhibit plant pathogens like Rhizoctonia, Fusarium and Pythium. Similarly, some Bacillus species form durable, resistant endospores that survive in soil and produce antibiotics like difficidin and bacilysin with antibacterial and antifungal properties. Pseudomonas strains also induce systemic resistance in plants through the production of metabolites like 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol that activate defense pathways in roots and leaves. Apart from controlling diseases, these beneficial microbes also enhance nutrient availability and plant growth.
Managing Insect Pests Naturally with Entomopathogenic Fungi and Nematodes
Entomopathogenic fungi like Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae and nematodes like Steinernema and Heterorhabditis are infectious microorganisms that can kill certain insect pests. When formulated as mycoinsecticides or nematicides, they provide eco-friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides for the control of soil-dwelling insect larva or pests like white grubs, leaf miners, thrips and weevils. Important advantages of using these microbial agents are their host-specific nature which does not harm beneficial insects, rapid action, and persistence in soil over multiple seasons. Microbial biopesticides fit perfectly within an integrated pest management program and help reduce reliance on broad-spectrum synthetic pesticides.
Advancing Agriculture with Microbial Technology
Agricultural research is focused on developing improved formulations and application techniques for existing microbial species as well as exploring new microbes beneficial for sustainable crop production. For example, plant probiotics containing optimized combinations of nitrogen-fixing, phosphate-solubilizing and growth-promoting rhizobacteria are being evaluated for maximizing cereal yields. Nonpathogenic endophytic bacteria and fungi isolated from native plant species show promise for inducing resistance to multiple stresses in wheat, sugarcane, tomato and other major crops. Advances in fungal and bacterial genomics along with methods for genetic manipulation now enable creating designer microbes with augmented biocontrol or biofertilizer functions. Commercialization of such new-age, tailored microbial inoculants catering to location-specific agro-climatic needs would significantly aid transition towards environmental and economically sustainable agriculture globally.
agricultural microbials derived from soil, plant and other environments have immense untapped potential for naturally improving soil health, enhancing nutrient availability, managing pests and diseases, and optimizing crop productivity. Further advancement of microbial technology aligned with principles of ecological farming presents exciting opportunities for ensuring food and nutritional security for the burgeoning world population in a sustainable manner.
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1.Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2.We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
Ravina Pandya
Ravina Pandya,Content Writer, has a strong foothold in the market research industry. She specializes in writing well-researched articles from different industries, including food and beverages, information and technology, healthcare, chemical and materials, etc. LinkedIn
