Sustainable agriculture in Africa: Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to the rescue

Scientific African

Max M. Häggblom¹  Olubukola Oluranti Babalola²  Atilade Adedayo Adedeji³ 

[1] Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ USA;Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ USA;Food Security and Safety Niche Area, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X2046, Mmabatho 2735, South Africa;

关键词: Fertilizer;    Food security;    Hunger;    Pesticides;    Soil;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The continued increase in the world's population is expected to make global food availability as one of the major concerns of our future. Nowhere are the concerns greater than in Africa. With a poor economy, the continent is expected to be home to many people in the next few years. Today, agriculture is faced with critical challenges of land degradation, reduced productivity, and susceptibility to abiotic and biotic stresses. To fight this threat, it is crucial to increase agricultural productivity within the next few decades. Given this, agricultural systems that are more sustainable and eco-friendly are being adopted. Recent insight reveals that plant growth-promoting bacteria, especially those residing in the root region (rhizosphere), may play a role in maintaining sustainable agricultural practices. Issues arising from the use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are discussed alongside recent trends in plant microbiome studies. It is envisioned that PGPR will take over the place of synthetic compounds in agriculture, horticulture, silviculture, and approaches in the cleaning up of environmental pollutants. In this review, the roles of PGPR, utilization challenges in Africa and possible solutions are discussed.

【 授权许可】

Unknown