ABSTRACT
Food is the primary requirement for the survival of mankind. In the last four to five decades global agricultural production has been drastically improved by the introduction of improved crop varieties and the development of modern agricultural tools. However, more than 25% of the crop yield is lost every year due to various kinds of plant diseases. Effective measures are thus highly needed to avoid this crop loss. So far, the use of chemical pesticides has been the method of choice to tackle this problem. However, the unwarranted use of chemical tools to enhance crop yield and control plant diseases has resulted in irreversible loss of soil quality along with serious health and environmental problems. Moreover, alternative controls are needed due to growing public concern about toxic agrochemicals and stringent laws. Here we review the role of a special class of soil bacteria, called plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). PGPR lives in the rhizospheric sites in soil, i.e., in the immediate vicinity of the plant roots, and exerts several beneficial effects on the plants, directly or indirectly. PGPR has inherent antagonistic properties against soil-borne plant pathogens under natural conditions. In this chapter, we present an overview of PGPRs, the strategies employed by PGPR to exert their beneficial effects on biocontrol as well as the development of the formulation of PGPR and obstacles in formulation development.
