Plant Growth Promoting- Rhizobacteria (PGPR): Their Potential as Biofertilizer and Biopesticide Agents: A Review

Currently, world is dealing with the curse of pollution in agricultural fields due to rampant use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These agrochemicals cause great harm to human health when consumed in food (e.g. cancer and thyroid) and also to environment (reduce fertility of soil etc) when released out there. Hence, there is an intense demand of such biological agents (e.g. microorganisms) which could partially or fully replace these agrochemicals. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria could come to the rescue and would help to escalate growth and productivity of plants in an environment friendly way. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria occurs in/around plant roots; enhance its growth and development, directly or indirectly by depleting or secreting several regulative chemical compounds. The direct method by which plant growth promoting rhizobacteria escalates plant growth is, by making easy availability of phosphorus, nitrogen and other essential minerals as well as by controlling quantity of plant hormones whereas indirect methods include, reducing impeding effects of pathogenic microbes (e.g. by siderophore production) which adversely affect development and growth of plants. There are several studies which registers that plant growth promoting rhizobacteria escalates health and yield of several plant species, both in normal and adverse situations. Therefore, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria could possibly lower the reliability of world on harmful agricultural chemicals which disturbs ecosystem. They can be used as a potent biofertilizers and biopesticides whose market demand is also hiking globally, currently as reported here.