Application of bacterial biostimulants in promoting growth and disease prevention in crop plants

Abstract Biological-based substances, other than commercially used chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which have the capability to induce plant development and protect them from stressful situations, are called as biostimulants. The application of biostimulants in present times is needed for safe, eco-friendly agriculture, and is the base of organic farming. One of the major categories of biostimulants includes beneficial microorganisms constituting of bacterial and fungal cell inoculants and their products. Many plants-associated microbes are mutualistic symbionts of crop plants which improve their fitness and productivity by nutrient mobilization, nitrogen fixation, phytohormone production, and producing a variety of antipathogenic chemicals. These microbial symbionts and their stimulatory products may also induce host-related genes and provide tolerance against abiotic and biotic stresses. In this chapter, we will discuss the bacterial biostimulants and their role in plant growth and development, and protection from diseases.