Soil microbes have great potential for agriculture. A wide variety of microbes have been utilized to enhance crop production. In the current issue, enhanced growth of rice plants is reported with the inoculation of a nitrogen (N)-fixing bacterium, Azospirillum sp. B510 (2), which possesses a disease-suppressive property against the rice blast fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae) and the bacterial leaf b...

Soil fungi are a critical component of agroecosystems and provide ecological services that impact the production of food and bioproducts. Effective management of fungal resources is essential to optimize the productivity and sustainability of agricultural ecosystems. In this review, we (i) highlight the functional groups of fungi that play key roles in agricultural ecosystems, (ii) examine the ...

The Brazilian inoculant strains 29W and 587 were found to be members of Bradyrhizobium elkanii primarily on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequences identical to that of B. elkanii USDA76 and on the basis of reactivity with antibodies against serogroups 76 and 31, respectively. The agronomic consequences of using strains of B. elkanii as soybean inoculants are discussed.

Microorganisms in the rhizosphere mediate the cycling of nutrients, their enhanced mobilisation and facilitate their uptake, leading to increased root growth, biomass and yield of plants. We examined the promise of beneficial cyanobacteria and eubacteria as microbial inoculants, applied singly or in combination as consortia or biofilms, to improve growth and yields of okra. Interrelationships a...

There is currently much interest in developing crop management practices that will decrease NO emissions from agricultural soils. Many different approaches are being investigated, but to date, no studies have been published on how microbial inoculants affect NO emissions. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that microbial-based inoculants known to promote root growth and nutrient up...

this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of inoculation of homo-fermentative lactic acid bacteria(lab) on ensiling characteristics and nutritive value of low dry matter corn silage (ldmcs). corn foragewas harvested at milk stage (22.8 ± 0.9% dm), chopped at theoretical length of cut (tlc) 2.5 cm, and stored in eighteen 3.8 l mini silos for each treatment. the following treatments were u...

The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, in concert with other soil dwelling microorganisms such as the so-called “plant growth promoting rhizobacteria”, play a pivotal role for natural soil fertility and stability, hence, for sustainable crop production. Appropriate management of the AM fungal community is crucial, especially in the tropics where the cultivated soils are notoriously fragile and ...

The burgeoning global market for soil microbial inoculants use in agriculture is being driven by pressure to increase sustainable crop production managing pests and diseases without environmental impacts. Microbial inoculants, based predominantly on bacteria fungi, are applied as alternatives conventional inorganic fertilizers (biofertilizers) or carry out specific functions including biocontro...