Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering (Dec 2023)
The role of Rhizobia toward food production, food and soil security through microbial agro-input utilization in developing countries
Abstract
Agricultural inputs such as fertilizers are becoming increasingly expensive and less available in developing countries, leading to decreased land productivity and food availability. Similarly, over-dependence on inorganic fertilizers and pesticides not only increases production costs but also poses a threat to the environment. Hence, alternatives to traditional agricultural inputs are necessary to achieve sustainable land productivity while maintaining environmental quality. Nitrogen (N)-fixing bacteria (rhizobia) are a group of plant growth-promoting bacteria that live in symbiosis with legumes. Their interaction with legume roots results in nodules that provide plants with additional nutrients through N-fixation, making legumes ideal crops due to reduced N fertilizer requirements. Despite their potential to improve land productivity and increase food production and security, the use of rhizobia is limited in developing countries due to limited research and agricultural microbial product production. Therefore, additional efforts are needed to increase the utilization of soil microbes to ensure food and soil security. The present review expounds on the role of rhizobia toward food production, food and soil security through microbial agro-input utilization in developing countries. Included in the review are the diversity of root-nodulating rhizobia, morphology and formation of legume, the role of nodulating bacteria for increased food production in developing countries, the application of nodulating bacterial technologies in food production in developing countries, and the implication of nodulating bacteria toward agricultural sustainability in developing countries. The review established that rhizobia are less utilized in developing countries as an option to increase food production and soil security due to limited research and agricultural microbial agro-input product production. Thus, additional efforts are required to increase soil microbes utilization to increase food production and ensure food security.
