The greatest issue affecting the sustainability of broad acre cropping both environmentally and economically is the requirement of fertilizers. These are based on mined phosphorous or other mineral ores, ammonia produced through the Harbour-Bosch process and industrially manufactured potash.

As global demand for fertilizers increases, the costs associated with the production for each of these major nutrients increases.

Biofertilizers such as plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) are a possible biotechnology that could alleviate the need for addition of increasing amounts of fertilizers.

These bacteria naturally occur in soils and aggressively colonize around plant roots and have been shown to have plant growth promoting effects. PGPB are known to influence plant growth by various direct and indirect mechanisms; while some can affect plant physiology directly by mimicking synthesis of plant hormones, others increase mineral availability and nitrogen content in soil.

Alex John
Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials
Whatsapp No.: +32 25889658
biotechbiomaterials@journalres.org