Role of Bacterial Endophytes in Bioremediation, Crop Improvement and Stress Management
摘要
Bacterial endophytes—microorganisms that reside within the plant tissues without causing any potential damages—are considered as vital agents in sustainable agriculture. Their multiple roles include enhancing plant growth, improving stress tolerance, and mitigating environmental pollution through bioremediation. This review highlights bacterial endophytes’ mechanisms of nutrient acquisition, phytohormone modulation, and phytopathogen suppression, underscoring their potential as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Endophytic bacteria also alleviate biotic and abiotic stresses via systemic resistance, antioxidant production, and quorum sensing disruption, contributing to crop resilience under climate-induced challenges like drought and salinity. Furthermore, they play a crucial role in ecosystem restoration by detoxifying heavy metals, degrading organic pollutants, and mitigating the effects of greenhouse gases. The review dictates current research on endophyte-plant symbiosis, proposes molecular strategies to harness their benefits, and discusses knowledge gaps impeding large-scale agricultural integration. Collectively, it can be proposed that endophytes represent a promising frontier for enhancing crop improvement, productivity and environmental sustainability.