Mechanistic insights of plant-microbe interaction towards drought and salinity stress in plants for enhancing the agriculture productivity

Abstract

The agricultural sector is an important part of the Indian economy. The sector is challenged by various stresses, leading to huge loss in crop productivity globally and disturbs agricultural sustainability. Abiotic stresses (drought and salinity) are among the foremost ecological factors that hinder agricultural productivity globally. Several ecological stresses generate excess amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) either singly or in combination, leading to impaired redox homeostasis, causing oxidative stress thereby affecting the physiology of the plant. It further damages crop yields, affecting other bio-molecules, and hormones concerning development. Therefore, sustainable and climate-smart agriculture (CSA) that uses plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) is essential to fulfilling the demand. Various plant growth-promoting microbes (PGPM) have vast metabolic capabilities to alleviate the adverse effect of abiotic stresses. Herein we elaborate the effect of plant-microbe interaction on abiotic stress and several strategies adopted by PGPR to cope-up these stresses and help the crop to sustain its productivity thereby mitigating the loss. By highlighting plant-microbe interactions in this chapter, we provide a roadmap for the community to use beneficial microorganisms to improve crop productivity. Further, the relationship between abiotic stress, PGPR and plant productivity is also described and summarizes the responses of abiotic stress in plants concerning molecular and biochemical mechanisms thereby mediating the drought and saline stress.

Keywords

• Drought and salinity
• PGPR
• Osmotic stress
• Reactive oxygen species
• Antioxidants