Role of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria in Sustainable Agriculture: A Review

Deterioration of soil and land degradation has adversely affected food production. The last few decades have seen a lot of research on the role of soil microorganisms � the plant growth producing rhizobacteria (PGPR) in increasing the sustainability of agriculture so much so that soil microbes are now being proclaimed as a cornerstone of the next green revolution. These microbes can provide protection against biotic stresses of some pathogenic microbes and also increase tolerance for abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity and heavy metal toxicity thus promoting increased yield. This review is an attempt to study the current knowledge on the use of soil bacteria to mitigate biotic and abiotic stress factors of plants and the challenges involved in putting this knowledge into practical use for improvement in crop yield.