PGPM of Forest Ecosystems for the Sustainable Forest Production

Large-scale planting of certain tree species is often associated with increased risks of diseases, including nursery diseases of Acacia and Eucalyptus. Plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) provide diverse ecological functions in different ecosystems. PGPM can be fungi (PGPF) or bacteria (PGPB/PGPR). PGPM may stimulate plant growth and health by direct and/or indirect mechanisms. Different PGPM, either free-living or endophytic, have been isolated from various forest ecosystems, both planted and natural stands. In either case, there are isolates with stimulating effects on both growth and health of forest tree seedlings. As plantation forest health is rooted in the seedling quality, PGPM isolated from diverse forest ecosystems should provide a significant contribution to the sustainable production of Indonesian plantation forests. Future research should also include exploration of other PGPM roles, including sulphate reducers to mitigate negative impacts of acidic sulphate soil with high pyrite contents. In this scenario, utilization of different PGPM is surely a lifetime challenge.