A Look at Plant-Growth-Promoting Bacteria

Bacteria have been used to increase crop yields. For their application on crops, bacteria are provided in inoculant formulations that are continuously changing, with liquid- and solid-based products. Bacteria for inoculants are mainly selected from natural isolates. In nature, microorganisms that favor plants exhibit various strategies to succeed and prevail in the rhizosphere, such as biological nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization, and siderophore production. On the other hand, plants have strategies to maintain beneficial microorganisms, such as the exudation of chemoattractanst for specific microorganisms and signaling pathways that regulate plant-bacteria interactions. Transcriptomic approaches are helpful in attempting to elucidate plant-microorganism interactions. Here, we present a review of these issues.

Automated summary

Bacteria have been applied to crops to increase their productivity, with constantly changing formulations in liquid and solid-based products. Natural isolates are mainly selected as inoculants, as they exhibit various strategies in the rhizosphere to promote plant growth. Plants, on the other hand, have mechanisms to maintain beneficial microorganisms through the secretion of chemoattractants and signaling pathways. Transcriptomic approaches are useful in studying plant-microorganism interactions.