Actinobacteria for sustainable agriculture

Actinobacteria is a phylum and class of Gram-positive bacteria. The phylum Actinobacteria are classified into six classes namely Acidimicrobiia, Actinobacteria, Coriobacteriia, Nitriliruptoria, Rubrobacteria and Thermoleophilia. Members of phylum Actinobacteria are ubiquitous in nature. Actinobacteria can be utilized as biofertilizers for sustainable agriculture as they can enhance plant growth and soil health though different plant growth promoting attributes such as solubilization of phosphorus, potassium and zinc, production of Fe-chelating compounds, phytohormones hormones such indole acetic acids, cytokinin, and gibberellins as well as by biological nitrogen fixation. The Actinobacteria also plays an important role in mitigation of different abiotic stress conditions in plants. The members of phylum Actinobacteria such as Actinomyces, Arthrobacter, Bifidobacterium, Cellulomonas, Clavibacter, Corynebacterium, Frankia, Microbacterium, Micrococcus, Mycobacterium, Nocardia, Propionibacterium, Pseudonocardia, Rhodococcus, Sanguibacter and Streptomyces exhibited the multifarious plant growth promoting attributes and could be used as biofertilizers for crops growing under natural as well as under the abiotic stress conditions for plant growth and soil health for sustainable agriculture.