TIBTEC 1404 No.

of Pages 2

Book Review

Agriculturally
Important Microbes
in Sustainable Food
Production
Jay Shankar Singh,1,*
P.C. Abhilash,2 and
Vijai K. Gupta3,*

Agriculturally important microorganisms

(AIMs) can inuence both the efciency
of nutrient availability to crop plants and
soil biodiversity, and they also regulate the
interactions between plants and other
harmful microora (pathogens) [1,2]. Such
interactions among plants and microbes
have been reported to inuence the physicochemical, biochemical, and microbiological properties of the soil [3]. Moreover,
root exudates (the chemicals secreted into
the soil by roots that work as connecting
links between roots and the soil microbial
community) as signaling molecules can
enhance the communication between
crops and benecial microbial agents,
and consequently enhance growth, yield,
and immunity in crop plants. Benecial
microbes have advanced abilities to

suppress or alter the protective responses

of the host plant, permitting them to epiphytically or endophytically colonize their
hosts [4]. Therefore, the exploitation and
prospecting of benecial microbial bioagents and their formulations may be an
appropriate option for enhancing crop
production for a rapidly growing human
population [5,6]. Efcient microbial communities that can offer services including
plant growth promotion, nutrient use efciency, bioremediation, and control of
pests/phytopathogens at the farming level
are known as microbial inoculants. A
profound understanding of the environmental factors inuencing the viability
and performance of these microbial inoculants is essential for their large-scale use
in sustainable agriculture.

[7]. Therefore, an integrated view of plant

microbe interactions in agro-ecosystem
services will help to enhance global food
production [8]. The present book provides
timely and valuable information on the
diversity and contribution of plant
growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR),
[3_TD$IF]endophytic microbes, and arbuscular
mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in agro-ecosystem services. The editors also include
chapters elaborating signicant advances
in bio-pesticides, high-density bio-inoculant cultivation, and seed bio-priming
strategies for abiotic and biotic stress
tolerance. Given its content, the book
offers a valuable resource for students,
researchers, and policy-makers concerning PGPR, microbeplant interactions,
bio-pesticides, and microbial inoculants.

Although many authors have extensively

addressed the application of microbial
agents in agricultural enterprises, the current book not only discusses the state-ofthe-art development of microbial inoculums
but also summarizes the latest trends in
identication, characterization, and diversity
analysis of diverse crop-specic benecial
microbial communities and their favorable
impacts in the context of plant growth promotion. The editors have assembled chapters from leading authors with particular
attention to detailing ideal next-generation
microbial inoculants, focusing on improved
viability, carrier appropriateness, stress
tolerance, spore-forming potential, superior
inoculation strategies, and the application
of single or consortia of bacteria having
multiple traits. The book also elucidates
the application of next-generation omics
technologies for exploring complex metabolic regulation during plantmicrobe
interaction, as well as identifying and evaluating the functional properties of various
microbial communities.

The book is divided into three major parts

dealing with the fundamentals of microbial
inoculations in agriculture sustainability,
including (i) strategies for characterizing
agriculturally important microbial diversity;
(ii) the role and mechanisms of PGPR,
[4_TD$IF]endophytes, and AMF in crop plant
growth promotion, efcient nutrient and
water use, and biodegradation; and (iii)
the role of bio-inoculants as bio-control
agents in controlling abiotic and biotic
plant stresses.

In addition, the book documents the taxonomic characterization of AIMs well,

together with their applications in eld
conditions. The interactions amongst
plants and their related microorganisms
are complex, and the outcomes are varied

Part I is dedicated to the fundamentals of

the isolation and characterization of AIMs.
It discusses the mode of action of various
microbial agents, such as bio-fertilizers,
phyto-stimulators, and bio-control agents.
It also offers a guide to quick and reliable
identication of AIMs before their use in
bio-formulations for release in the eld.
Because 95% of microbes are considered
to be non-culturable, the book also
emphasizes the need for more advanced
and reliable molecular techniques for identifying and utilizing these microbes. The
book also proposes simple and robust
methods for the isolation and identication
of bacteria and fungi in controlling rootknot nematodes (microscopic worms,
the major pathogens of vegetables and
crops).

Trends in Biotechnology, Month Year, Vol. xx, No. yy

TIBTEC 1404 No. of Pages 2

Part II describes the major plant growthpromoting attributes mediated by PGPR,

[3_TD$IF]endophytic bacteria, and AMF. The benecial role of [3_TD$IF]endophytic microorganisms in
promoting plant health has been thoroughly documented previously [9]. Here,
the importance of PGPR and AMF in plant
health management is elaborated with
suitable examples. Exploiting the importance of combining PGPR and AMF for
promoting growth and increasing pest
and disease resistance to achieve maximum crop benets and reduced agricultural production cost is also discussed in
this section. Advances in omics techniques to explore the complex metabolic
networks and regulatory mechanisms
during plantmicrobe interaction are well
presented. Finally, Part III describes in
detail[5_TD$IF] about microbial inoculants as
agents to combat various abiotic and
biotic stresses in plants.
While the book is informative in many
respects, some shortcomings include
the lack of information about the survival
and performance of inoculated microbes
in real systems. Furthermore, a major role
of inoculant formulations is to provide a
more suitable temporary microenvironment
to prevent the rapid decline of introduced
microbes in the soil. The survival of
[3_TD$IF]endophytic inoculants under a variety of
environmental conditions necessitates the
development and use of efcient and reliable
isolation, detection, segregation, categorization, and/or typing techniques for their
surveillance [10]. Furthermore, a detailed discussion about the formulation of inoculant
carriers to translate to commercial microbial
products is lacking in this volume; the storage viability, performance, and efcacy of
microbial inoculums are not described [8].

example, plants deliver carbohydrates to interested in sustainable agricultural

the microbe [11], adding to a steady asso- production.
ciation between these interaction part- Microbial Inoculants in Sustainable Agricultural
ners. However, strategic and applied Productivity (Vol. 1): Research Perspectives by
research has proved that climate change Dhananjaya P. Singh, Harikesh B. Singh, and Ratna
Prabha (eds). Springer, 2016. s139/99, hbk/ebk (343 [1_TD$IF]pp.),
and associated temperature variations ISBN 978[2_TD$IF]-8[2_TD$IF]-13[2_TD$IF]-222642[2_TD$IF]-0
will affect such microbial activities in the
1
rhizosphere zone (the narrow region of Department of Environmental Microbiology, Babasaheb
Bhimrao Ambedkar (Central) University, Lucknow 226025,
soil that is directly inuenced by root Uttar Pradesh, India
secretions and associated soil microor- 2Institute of Environment & Sustainable Development,
Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
ganisms). It remains unclear to what Banaras
3
Molecular Glyco-Biotechnology Group, Discipline of
extent changing climatic conditions will Biochemistry, School of Natural Sciences, National
affect the performance of the microbiota University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
in the rhizospheric soil and its effects on
*Correspondence: jayshankar_1@yahoo.co.in (J.S. Singh)
the ecosystem. Although such changes and vijaifzd@gmail.com (V.K. Gupta).
will signicantly affect plantbioinoculant http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2016.06.002
relationships, the book does not address
References
these important issues.
Despite these shortcomings, we nd that
the book does a good job of highlighting
various aspects of microbial inoculants
(including PGPR and AMF) for their benecial impacts on plant growth promotion,
thus playing an important role in agriculture
sustainability. It is important to enrich our
understanding of new microbial communities, their specic functions, the responses
of plants and soils to such microbiota, and
the ecological effects of microbial agents
on crop health with a view toward climate
change [1,2,5,8]. Future investigations
may lead to the identication of several
new microbial species that might be candidates for plant growth promotion, soil
fertility management, biological control of
pests and diseases, and bioremediation
of environmental pollutants.

In summary, this book is an excellent scientic contribution describing microbial

agents for sustainable farming, and outlines pathways towards next-generation
ideal microbial inoculants with superior
Most plantmicrobe interactions promote application strategies. In our view, this
plant growth and development. For book can be recommended to anyone

Trends in Biotechnology, Month Year, Vol. xx, No. yy

1. Singh, J.S. (2015) Plantmicrobe interactions: a viable tool

for agricultural sustainability. Appl. Soil Ecol. 92, 4546
2. Zeilinger, S. et al. (2015) Friends or foes? Emerging insights
from fungal interactions with plants. FEMS Microbiol. Rev.
40, 182207
3. Dubey, R.K. et al. (2016) Exploring rhizospheric interactions
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4. Zamioudis, C. and Pieterse, C.M. (2012) Modulation of host
immunity by benecial microbes. Mol Plant Microbe 25,
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5. Bhardwaj, D. et al. (2014) Biofertilizers function as key
player in sustainable agriculture by improving soil fertility,
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6. Kanchiswamy, C.N. et al. (2015) Chemical diversity of
microbial volatiles and their potential for plant growth and
productivity. Front. Plant Sci. 6, 151
7. Grigoriev, I. (2013) Fungal genomics for energy and environment. In Genomics of Soil- and Plant-Associated Fungi:
Soil Biology (36) (Horwitz, B. et al., eds), In pp. 1127,
Springer
8. Vejan, P. et al. (2016) Role of plant growth promoting
rhizobacteria in agricultural sustainabilitya review. Molecules 21, 117
9. Moreira, H. et al. (2016) Mine land valorization through
energy maize production enhanced by the application of
plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and arbuscular
mycorrhizal fungi. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 23,
69406950
10. Gond, S.K. et al. (2015) Effect of bacterial endophytes on
expression of defense genes in Indian popcorn against
Fusarium moniliforme. Symbiobosis 66, 133140
11. Buscot, F. et al. (2000) Recent advances in exploring
physiology and biodiversity of ectomycorrhizas highlight
the functioning of these symbioses in ecosystems. New
Phytol 24, 601614