Bioaugmentation is commonly employed as a remediation technology. However, numerous studies indicate that introduced microorganisms often do not survive in the environment and thus do not increase contaminant remediation. This review details several new approaches that may increase the persistence and activity of exogenous microorganisms and/or genes following introduction into the environment....

Zinc is an essential micronutrient which plays a macro role in the growth and productivity of the plants. Zinc (Zn) deficiency hinders metabolic and physiological activity in plants due to its inevitable role as an enzyme cofactor. Many Indian soil exhibit Zn deficiency with the content much below the critical level of 1.5ppm. The conditions that make unavailability of zinc to plants are high p...

Recent studies have shown that continuous cropping in soybean causes substantial changes to the microbial community in rhizosphere soil. In this study, we investigated the effects of continuous cropping for various time periods on the diversity of rhizosphere soil arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in various soybean cultivars at the branching stage. The soybean cultivars Heinong 37 (an intermed...

The application of microbial inoculants (biofertilizers) is a promising technology for future sustainable farming systems in view of rapidly decreasing phosphorus stocks and the need to more efficiently use available nitrogen (N). Various microbial taxa are currently used as biofertilizers, based on their capacity to access nutrients from fertilizers and soil stocks, to fix atmospheric nitrogen...

The improvement of the fermentation quality of rice straw silage by application of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and glucose was investigated in this study. Sixteen rice varieties were harvested at the maturity stage and the rice straw was ensiled with LAB inoculant (1×10 cfu/g of fresh weight) and glucose (2% of fresh weight). Inoculation with LAB improved the fermentation as reflected in reducti...

Purpureocillium lilacinum is a promising nematophagous ascomycete able to adapt diverse environments and it is also an opportunistic fungus that infects humans. A microbial inoculant of P. lilacinum has been registered to control plant parasitic nematodes. However, the molecular mechanism of the toxicological processes is still unclear because of the relatively few reports on the subject. In th...

Bioaugmentation of contaminated sites with microbes that are adapted or genetically engineered for degradation of specific toxic compounds is an area that is currently being explored as a clean-up option. Biomarkers have been developed to track the survival and efficacy of specific bacteria that are used as inocula for bioremediation of contaminated soil. Examples of biomarkers include the luc ...

Crab waste preserved with .2% NaOCl was mixed with wheat straw, liquid molasses, and water (32:32:16:20, wet basis) and ensiled for a minimum of 8 wk with microbial inoculant. A reduction in pH and water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) and a higher concentration of lactic acid (4.9%, DM basis) were achieved. The trimethylamine (TMA) concentration in the silage was 11.2 mg N/100 g. In a digestion tr...

Any successful strategy aimed at enhancing crop productivity with microbial products ultimately relies on the ability to scale at regional to global levels. Microorganisms that show promise in the lab may lack key characteristics for widespread adoption in sustainable and productive agricultural systems. This paper provides an overview of critical considerations involved with taking a strain fr...

The application of beneficial, plant-associated microorganisms is a sustainable approach to improving crop performance in agriculture. However, microbial inoculants are often susceptible to prolonged periods of storage and deleterious environmental factors, which negatively impact their viability and ultimately limit efficacy in the field. This particularly concerns non-sporulating bacteria. To...