ABSTRACT
Legumes are the largest source of vegetable protein in the human diet. They also contribute to agricultural cropping cycles through symbiotic nitrogen fixation. However, like other crops, legume production is vulnerable to abiotic stress conditions. Among several strategies proposed toward the mitigation of abiotic stress in legumes, microbial interventions gained significant attention, with particular focus on legume-Rhizobium interactions. The involvement of rhizobium association in survival of wild legumes is evident from the literature; however, the current knowledge relating to the same in legume crops is limited to controlled conditions. This chapter focuses on interactions of legume crops with Rhizobium and other microbes under abiotic stress conditions, current trends in legume-microbe research under abiotic stress conditions, and future line of research toward development of microbe-based strategies for abiotic stress management in legumes.
