Siderophore Producing PGPR for Crop Nutrition and Phytopathogen Suppression

Deficiency of iron in crop results in iron chlorosis, makes them micronutrient deficient and hence sensitive to microbial infections. More than 60 phytopathogens are known to cause different plant diseases. These microbial diseases of crop plants are the major cause of severe global economic losses to agricultural crops. During the last 50 years, the control of most of the plant diseases has fully relied on the use of agrochemicals. Although this has resulted in increased production of agricultural commodities, it has several inherent problems like health hazards, biomagnification and development of pesticide resistance in the pests, and contamination of underground water. The increasing public awareness about these problems has stimulated interest in the use of biological control methods for controlling plant diseases. Past decade has witnessed increasing interest in the role of rhizobacteria for controlling plant diseases. In the present agricultural scenario, siderophore producing rhizobacteria has been recognized as potential biocontrol agents (BCAs) for controlling plant diseases.