Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria: A Catalyst for Advancing Horticulture Applications

Endophytes which are capable of providing a plethora of beneficial effects to the plants that they inhabit are also regarded as plant growth promoting microbes. The bacteria harboured in the rhizosphere are involved in both promoting plant growth and remediating soils contaminated with pollutants like heavy metals, these microorganisms employ various mechanisms to achieve these dual objectives. PGPB is intended to stimulate the growth of plant roots (increase the root mass and/or the root capturing area), promoting nutrient uptake from the soil, and protecting plants from root diseases. PGPB contribute to heavy metal mobilization in soil through mechanisms such as solubilizing metal minerals, acidifying the rhizosphere environment, increasing root surface area for metal uptake, and enhancing the release of root exudates that facilitate metal mobilization. This Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria are called as biofertilizer which is the alternate for the chemical fertilizer and harmless for the soil, plants and consumers. In this review various applications of these bacteria are discussed and methods in which it can be beneficial to horticulture is also described.