ABSTRACT
A crucial factor for soil fertility status and management of the health of the plant as well as plant stress acclimatization management is the sound ecological fitness of soil and root-related microbial communities present in the soil system. It preserves genetic diversity in microbial populations via genetic changes or mutation and transfer of genes in the soil microbes. In the in vitro condition and under the natural conditions, horizontal transfer of gene (HGT) is performed by the process of microbial conjugation, microbial transformation, and the process of rapid transduction. The genetic elements which are generally mobile in nature (MGE) also perform a critical part of gene distribution in the bacterial communities and improve their adaptation, rate of survival and colonization ability in various environmental conditions. The extra chromosomal DNA of bacteria, which are commonly known as plasmids, generally encode resistance genes for environmental stress tolerance and are of huge importance in the context of bioremediation process. Bacterial development and growth modes in biofilm further improves exchange of genes and enriches bacterial fitness and competitiveness. Given the value of transfer of genes horizontally, a better knowledge of rhizosphere genetic processes would further lead to the successful use of naturally engineered bacteria for sustainable use in agricultural research and development.
