Microbial Consortium as Biofertilizers for Crops Growing Under the Extreme Habitats

Biofertilizers are typically microbial formulations in organic carrier materials that improve soil health and crop growth and development. Of late the use of biofertilizers has gained much acceptance and research interest especially in the developed countries due to ecological impacts associated with the use of synthetic inorganic fertilizers in farming. Microbial formulations could be organism-specific or a consortium of organisms. Microbial consortium biofertilizers, the main focus of this chapter, have been reported as contributing significantly to plant adaptation to various abiotic stressors in “extreme” habitats. Many soil microorganisms are endowed with an array of capabilities ranging from production of growth-enhancing substances to the release of substances which ameliorate the effects of various abiotic stress conditions such as drought, salinity, pH stress, heat stress, pollutants, and nutrient deficiency. Besides exploring the MC biofertilizer operations and mechanisms (neutral and niche), it also relies on a network of intraspecific and interspecific interactions for sustainable growth and development of crops in challenged environments. Among these organisms are plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), mycorrhizal-helping bacteria (MHB), and a host of others that work together in consortium biofertilizer formulations.