Biofertilizers: Catalysts for Enhancing Soil and Plant Health in Pursuit of Sustainable Agriculture

Improving and maintaining soil and plant health are vital to sustainable agriculture. Soil microbes play a significant role in maintaining soil health while increasing sustainability in crop production. Soil contains several beneficial microbes, such as rhizobacteria endo- and ectomycorrhizal fungi, cyanobacteria, and many other microbial groups that provide diverse positive attributes to the health of the soil. The microbial population in the soil acts as an ecological indicator and is responsible for organic matter decomposition and nutrient recycling. Recently, there has been increased use of soil microbes as biofertilizers, which perform many functions, including enhanced availability of soil nutrients for plant uptake to promote growth and development. Increased nutrient uptake also increases plant tolerance to many biotic and abiotic stresses. Beneficial bacteria and fungi belonging to the Bacilli, Rhizobium, Lysobacter, Streptomyces, Pseudomonas, Trichoderma, and a few other genera can also provide biotic stress tolerance by competing with harmful plant pathogens, producing phytohormones and pathogen-suppressing secondary metabolites and lytic enzymes. The potential application of the beneficial bacteria as biofertilizers avoids such problems and improves soil health, including soil biodiversity, while increasing crop growth and productivity, thus helping environmental sustainability. In recent years, the use of bacterial technologies to address various agricultural and environmental problems has shown considerable success. The present chapter highlights the functions of biofertilizers from soil health to crop improvement, their impact on plant growth, development, and productivity, and plant tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. The potential role of beneficial bacteria and other microbes in sustainable agricultural production is also discussed.