Plant growth promoting microbes: a future trend for environmental sustainability

Abstract Plant growth promoting microbes (PGPMs) are a group of bacteria and fungi that play a significant role in plant growth promotion and disease management. Species of Azotobacter, Trichoderma, and Pseudomonas are widely used for growth promotion and disease management of many crop plants thereby offering an environmental friendly green approach. These PGPMs have the ability improve the vigor of the plant by secreting the different types of growth promoting metabolites (vitamins, amino acids, and growth hormones) in the rhizosphere. Similarly they also act as a biocontrol agents and are used for the management of many plant diseases and are known to produce antibiotics, siderophores, hydrogen cyanide, hydrolytic enzymes and also by means of antibiosis. Hence, these PGPMs are formulated with different carrier materials (manure, talc, ash) and used as biocontrol agents, bioinoculants, and biofertilizers for the plant growth promotion and disease suppression. Finally, the biological approach is safe and eco-friendly in nature.