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Beneficial Microbes for Sustainable Agriculture

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 28417

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Weilan Zhang

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Guest Editor

Department of Environmental & Sustainable Engineering, the State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA
Interests: sustainable remediation; emerging contaminants; environmental behavior of contaminants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Beneficial microbes (e.g., rhizobia, mycorrhizal fungi, actinomycetes, diazotrophic bacteria) that create symbiotic associations with plant roots could improve the nutrient profile of crops and the resistance of plants to certain pests, diseases, chemical treatments, and stressful environmental conditions. Moreover, beneficial microbes could be applied for the transformation of agricultural biomass to green biofuels and other industrially goods, as well as for bioremediation of contaminated farmland soil. Thus, microbial biotechnology is a promising implement to facilitate and promote sustainable agriculture. To better describe the critical role of microbes in agricultural industry and supplement existing literature on applications of microbal biotechnology in sustainable agriculture, this Special Issue on “Beneficial Microbes for Sustainable Agriculture” is aiming at providing the state of the art and perspectives of knowledge about beneficial microorganisms in agriculture with an evaluation of key mechanisms of interaction between beneficial microbes and plants, and the performance of these microbes to improve the productivity and sustainability of agricultural systems. It welcomes reviews, perspectives, communications, and original research articles focusing on the functional relationship between plants and their microbiota. Applications of beneficial microbes in green energy production, pollution control, and bioremediation for comtaminated farmland field are also of particular interest.

Dr. Weilan Zhang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

microbes
sustainable agriculture
biotechnology
plant–microbe interaction
plant microbiome
rhizosphere microbiome
bioremediation
green energy
pollution control

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1801 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Soil-Applied Boron Combined with Boron-Tolerant Bacteria (Bacillus sp. MN54) Improve Root Proliferation and Nodulation, Yield and Agronomic Grain Biofortification of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

by Noman Mehboob, Mubshar Hussain, Waqas Ahmed Minhas, Tauqeer Ahmad Yasir, Muhammad Naveed, Shahid Farooq, Saleh Alfarraj and Ali Tan Kee Zuan

Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9811; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13179811 - 01 Sep 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2333

Abstract

Chickpea is widely cultivated on calcareous sandy soils in arid and semi-arid regions of Pakistan; however, widespread boron (B) deficiencies in these soils significantly decreases its productivity. Soil application of B could improve chickpea yield and grain-B concentration. However, optimizing suitable B level is necessary due to a narrow deficiency and toxicity range of B. Nonetheless, the co-application of B-tolerant bacteria (BTB) and synthetic B fertilizer could be helpful in obtaining higher chickpea yields and grain-B concentration. Therefore, this study optimized the level of soil applied B along with BTB, (i.e., Bacillus sp. MN54) to improve growth, yield and grain-B concentrations of chickpea. The B concentrations included in the study were 0.00 (control), 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 mg B kg⁻¹ soil combined with or without Bacillus sp. MN54 inoculation. Soil application of B significantly improved root system, nodulation, yield and grain-B concentration, and Bacillus sp. MN54 inoculation further improved these traits. Moreover, B application at a lower dose (0.25 mg B kg⁻¹ soil) with BTB inoculation recorded the highest improvements in root system (longer roots with more roots’ proliferation), growth, nodulation and grain yield. However, the highest grain-B concentration was recorded under a higher B level (0.75 mg B kg⁻¹ soil) included in the study. Soil application of 0.25 mg B kg⁻¹ with Bacillus sp. MN54 inoculation improved growth and yield-related traits, especially nodule population (81%), number of pods plant⁻¹ (38%), number of grains plant⁻¹ (65%) and grain yield (47%) compared with control treatment. However, the grain-B concentration was higher under the highest B level (1.00 mg kg⁻¹ soil) with Bacillus sp. MN54 inoculation. In conclusion, soil application of 0.25 mg B kg⁻¹ with Bacillus sp. MN54 inoculation is a pragmatic option to improve the root system, nodule population, seedling growth, yield and agronomic grain-B biofortification of chickpea. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beneficial Microbes for Sustainable Agriculture)

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23 pages, 4480 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Potential Bioinoculants for Sustainable Agriculture Prospected from Ferruginous Caves of the Iron Quadrangle/Brazil

by Camila G. C. Lemes, Isabella F. Cordeiro, Camila H. de Paula, Ana K. Silva, Flávio F. do Carmo, Luciana H. Y. Kamino, Flávia M. S. Carvalho, Juan C. Caicedo, Jesus A. Ferro and Leandro M. Moreira

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9354; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13169354 - 20 Aug 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2463

Abstract

Biocontrol and plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) are important agricultural bioinoculants. This study aimed to prospect new potential bioinoculants for a more sustainable agriculture from ferruginous caves of the Brazilian Iron Quadrangle. Culturable bacteria, from seven caves and one canga soil sample, were evaluated for biocontroller activity of the phytopathogens Xanthomonas citri subsp. Citri—Xcc306 (citrus canker), Fusarium oxysporum—Fo (fusariosis), and Colletotrichum lindemuthianum—Cl89 (bean anthracnose). The ability of the superior candidates to solubilize inorganic phosphate, fix nitrogen, and produce hydrolytic enzymes and siderophores was then analyzed. Out of 563 isolates, 47 inhibited the growth of Xcc306 in vitro, of which 9 reduced citrus canker up to 68% when co-inoculated with the pathogen on host plants. Twenty of the 47 inhibited Fo growth directly by 51–73%, and 15 indirectly by 75–81%. These 15 inhibited Cl89 growth in vitro (up to 93% directly and 100% indirectly), fixed nitrogen, produced proteases and siderophores, showed motility ability, produced biofilm, and all but one solubilized inorganic phosphate. Therefore, 15 (2.66%) bacterial isolates, from the genera Serratia, Nissabacter, and Dickeya, act simultaneously as biocontrollers and PGPBs, and could be important candidates for future investigations in planta as an alternative to minimize the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers through sustainable agricultural management practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beneficial Microbes for Sustainable Agriculture)

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18 pages, 1994 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Production, Purification, and Characterization of Bacillibactin Siderophore of Bacillus subtilis and Its Application for Improvement in Plant Growth and Oil Content in Sesame

by S. Nithyapriya, Sundaram Lalitha, R. Z. Sayyed, M. S. Reddy, Daniel Joe Dailin, Hesham A. El Enshasy, Ni Luh Suriani and Susila Herlambang

Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5394; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13105394 - 12 May 2021

Cited by 74 | Viewed by 6839

Abstract

Siderophores are low molecular weight secondary metabolites produced by microorganisms under low iron stress as a specific iron chelator. In the present study, a rhizospheric bacterium was isolated from the rhizosphere of sesame plants from Salem district, Tamil Nadu, India and later identified as Bacillus subtilis LSBS2. It exhibited multiple plant-growth-promoting (PGP) traits such as hydrogen cyanide (HCN), ammonia, and indole acetic acid (IAA), and solubilized phosphate. The chrome azurol sulphonate (CAS) agar plate assay was used to screen the siderophore production of LSBS2 and quantitatively the isolate produced 296 mg/L of siderophores in succinic acid medium. Further characterization of the siderophore revealed that the isolate produced catecholate siderophore bacillibactin. A pot culture experiment was used to explore the effect of LSBS2 and its siderophore in promoting iron absorption and plant growth of Sesamum indicum L. Data from the present study revealed that the multifarious Bacillus sp. LSBS2 could be exploited as a potential bioinoculant for growth and yield improvement in S. indicum. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beneficial Microbes for Sustainable Agriculture)

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22 pages, 3811 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rhizospheric Phosphate Solubilizing Bacillus atrophaeus GQJK17 S8 Increases Quinoa Seedling, Withstands Heavy Metals, and Mitigates Salt Stress

by Ismail Mahdi, Nidal Fahsi, Mohamed Hafidi, Saad Benjelloun, Abdelmounaaim Allaoui and Latefa Biskri

Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3307; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13063307 - 17 Mar 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3040

Abstract

Introduction of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa willd.), a gluten-free nutritious pseudo-cereal, outside its traditional growing areas exposed it to seedling damping-off. Here, we isolated eleven phosphate-solubilizing bacteria from the quinoa rhizosphere and assessed their effect on germination and seedlings growth. All isolates solubilized phosphate, produced indole3-acetic acid, hydrocyanic acid, siderophores, and ammonia. Genotypic analysis revealed that our strains are related to the genus of Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Enterobacter. Strains Enterobacter asburiae (QD14, QE4, QE6, and QE16), Enterobacter sp. QE3, and Enterobacter hormaechei QE7 withstood 1.5 mg·L⁻¹ of cadmium sulfate, 0.5 mg·mL⁻¹ of nickel nitrate, and 1 mg·mL⁻¹ of copper sulfate. Moreover, all strains solubilized zinc from ZnO; P. Stutzeri QD1 and E. asburiae QD14 did not solubilize Zn₃(PO₄)₂ and CO₃Zn, whereas CO₃Zn was not solubilized by E. asburiae QE16. Bacillus atrophaeus S8 tolerated 11% NaCl. P. frederiksbergensis S6 and Pseudomonas sp. S7 induced biofilm formation. Anti-fusarium activity was demonstrated for E.asburiae QE16, P. stutzeri QD1, P. frederiksbergensis S6, Pseudomonas sp. S7, and B. atrophaeus S8. Lastly, inoculation of quinoa seeds with B. atrophaeus S8 and E. asburiae QB1 induced the best germination rate and seedling growth, suggesting their potential use as inoculants for salty and heavy metal or zinc contaminated soils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beneficial Microbes for Sustainable Agriculture)

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Review

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30 pages, 2418 KiB

Open AccessReview

Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria as a Green Alternative for Sustainable Agriculture

by Hema Chandran, Mukesh Meena and Prashant Swapnil

Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10986; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su131910986 - 03 Oct 2021

Cited by 67 | Viewed by 12121

Abstract

Environmental stress is a major challenge for sustainable food production as it reduces yield by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) which pose a threat to cell organelles and biomolecules such as proteins, DNA, enzymes, and others, leading to apoptosis. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) offers an eco-friendly and green alternative to synthetic agrochemicals and conventional agricultural practices in accomplishing sustainable agriculture by boosting growth and stress tolerance in plants. PGPR inhabit the rhizosphere of soil and exhibit positive interaction with plant roots. These organisms render multifaceted benefits to plants by several mechanisms such as the release of phytohormones, nitrogen fixation, solubilization of mineral phosphates, siderophore production for iron sequestration, protection against various pathogens, and stress. PGPR has the potential to curb the adverse effects of various stresses such as salinity, drought, heavy metals, floods, and other stresses on plants by inducing the production of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase. Genetically engineered PGPR strains play significant roles to alleviate the abiotic stress to improve crop productivity. Thus, the present review will focus on the impact of PGPR on stress resistance, plant growth promotion, and induction of antioxidant systems in plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beneficial Microbes for Sustainable Agriculture)

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