Microbial Consortia: An Approach in Plant Growth Promotion and Plant Diseases Management

At present, the use of fertilizers plays a key role in maintaining soil in good conditions and improving the quality of harvested produce. However, the agricultural costs can increase because of a significant number of fertilizers applied is lost due to environmental factors, and these compounds cause environmental pollution. On the other hand, plant-associated microorganisms play an important role in agriculture production. The application of microbial communities in order to increase the productivity and maintain soil fertility offers better beneficial effects than the single microorganism application. Besides, the use of microorganism offers the benefit of controlled plant pathogens, which traditionally are controlled by the application of chemical pesticides that can affect other microorganisms and are residual and pollute the environment. Thus, researchers need to develop environmentally friendly options instead of compounds from chemical origin. The present chapter will summarize recent investigations in the use of microorganisms for plant growth promotion and for controlling diseases.