Significance of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria in Alleviating Drought Stress in Crop Plants Under a Changing Climate for Sustainable Agricultural Production
摘要
The intensification of drought and climate change presents a significant risk to agricultural production, increasing the urgency of finding environmentally friendly solutions to ensure global food security. Drought stress altered the stomatal conductance, osmotic adjustment, antioxidant, root architecture and morphology, regulation of hormonal signaling, metabolic regulations, and molecular responses in crop plants. In this context, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) has emerged as a crucial sustainable agricultural solution in a changing climate. These bacteria significantly alleviate drought stress in crop plants through various mechanisms, including modifying root morphology, regulating stress-responsive genes, influencing plant hormones and stress signalling pathways, and producing volatile organic compounds and exopolysaccharides. Furthermore, PGPR improves plant resilience to drought by enhancing water and nutrient uptake efficiency, modulating stress hormone levels, and inducing systemic resistance mechanisms. This chapter explores the sophisticated roles of PGPR in mitigating drought stress, highlighting recent advances in understanding their interactions with crop plants under changing climatic conditions. Additionally, it discusses practical applications of PGPR-based strategies for sustainable agriculture production. It emphasizes their potential to enhance crop yields, reduce environmental impact, and promote resilience in agricultural systems vulnerable to drought.