Potential roles of plant growth-promoting microbes in wheat adaptation and tolerance to herbicide and drought stress combination

Wheat is one of the most important cereals that play a vital role in food security worldwide. Losses of grain yield/quality from major abiotic stresses such as drought and its combinations with herbicides cause significant damage to agriculture, the food industry, and the economy and become more exacerbated with current climate change. Plant growth-promoting microbes (PGPMs) are considered as an eco-friendly strategy to mitigate drought and herbicide stresses and preserve yield in wheat production. This review covers the current state of research and the latest data implicates beneficial PGPMs in wheat to protect from drought and applied herbicides against weeds. Nowadays, antistress action of various strains of PGPMs in wheat plants is well documented and the mechanisms of their actions were mostly described upon individual drought stress. While studies focused on the role of PGPMs in the mitigation of herbicide stress and especially its combination with drought are in the early stages of research yet. Current knowledge on successful PGPMs application to alleviate the negative effects of combined herbicide and drought stress in wheat growth and yield/quality is presented in this review. Also, the role of PGPMs in reducing phytotoxic effect of herbicides as antidotes, in pesticide biodegradation, and alternative weed control as bioherbicides was considered. The review highlighted the current limitations of PGPMs use in the field and discusses future research directions for the effective introduction of PGPMs-based products for sustainable wheat production under a changing climate.

Automated summary

This review discusses the use of plant growth-promoting microbes (PGPMs) in wheat production to mitigate the negative effects of drought and herbicide stresses. While the antistress action of PGPMs against drought stress has been well studied, research on the role of PGPMs in the mitigation of herbicide stress, especially in combination with drought, is still in its early stages. The review also highlights the potential of PGPMs in reducing phytotoxic effects of herbicides, pesticide biodegradation, and alternative weed control. Limitations of PGPMs use in the field and future research directions are discussed.