The multifaceted plant-beneficial rhizobacteria toward agricultural sustainability

Abstract

Agricultural practices depend mainly on the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides which have caused serious health hazards and have also contributed to the pollution of the environment at large. The application of plant-beneficial rhizobacteria in agrarian practices has become paramount in increasing soil fertility, promoting plant growth, ensuring food safety, and increasing crop production to ensure sustainable agriculture. Beneficial rhizobacteria are soil microorganisms that are eco-friendly and serve as a modern method of improving the plant yield, protecting the plant and soil fertility that pose no harm to humans and the environment. This eco-friendly approach requires the application of beneficial rhizobacteria with plant growth-promoting traits that can improve the nutrient uptake, enhance the resistance of plants to abiotic and biotic stress, protect plants against pathogenic microorganisms and promote plant growth and yield. This review article has highlighted the multitasking roles that beneficial rhizobacteria employ in promoting plant growth, food production, bioremediation, providing defence to plants, and maintaining soil fertility. The knowledge acquired from this review will help in understanding the bases and importance of plant-beneficial rhizobacteria in ensuring agricultural sustainability and as an alternative to the use of agrochemicals.