Microbial Consortium with Multifunctional Plant Growth-Promoting Traits and Its Significant Contribution in Sustainable Agriculture

Plants are frequently in contact with a different array of microorganisms, together with those that are beneficial, neutral, and pathogenic. Beneficial microbes associated with plants enhance both plant growth and health through several mechanisms such as augmented nutrient absorption, mineral solubilization, plant growth-stimulating hormones and bioactive metabolites production, and priming of plant defense to environmental stresses. These beneficial plant growth-promoting microbes are widely recognized for their multiple positive effects on plants. Bacteria and fungi, being extensively studied and accepted, be prominent as successful bio-inoculants for promoting sustainable agricultural crop growth, health, and yield as well as soil quality. The use of microbial bio-inoculants holds promise as a practice to encourage chemical-free farming. A noteworthy development in this field is the prominence on plant growth-promoting microbial consortia, preparations consist of a mix of microbes that offer broader and nonspecific growth promotion across different varieties of crop plants and soil quality/health improvement. By utilizing microbes with distinct characteristics in a consortium, a synergistic effect is achieved, where these microorganisms work together to improve each other’s beneficial effects. Notably, plant growth-promoting microbial (PGPM) consortium, when employed in a network mode, may augment plant growth more effectively than single-species microbial bio-inoculants. Hence, the use of bio-inoculants as microbial consortium could be the efficient way to utilize the fullest potential of important beneficial microbes for sustainable agricultural production. The current chapter provides the insightful role of microbial consortia on both plant growth and health and its significant contribution in sustainable agriculture.