Lactic Acid Bacteria for Safe and Sustainable Agriculture

The population of the earth is currently estimated to be 8 billion, but it is predicted to increase to 8.3 billion in 2030 and 9.8 billion in 2050. The increase in population creates high demand to develop new and safe solutions that promote the yield of crops. Recently, there is an increasing interest to establish alternative bioproducts to replace chemicals and toxic pesticides which cause health risks for humans and animals and negatively affect the ecological equilibrium of the environment. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are significant groups of probiotic organisms isolated from different natural sources and are generally considered safe. LAB has been demonstrated as effective biofertilizers, biocontrol agents and biostimulants. This bacterial group can increase nutrient availability from compost and other organic materials. LAB are well known as biocontrol agent against a wide range of fungal and bacterial phytopathogens. As biostimulants, LAB can directly enhance plant growth or seed germination while also alleviating a variety of abiotic stressors. This review aims to underline the role of LAB in sustainable agriculture as promising alternatives to agrochemicals usage in sustaining crop productivity.