Bacteria and fungi can contribute to nutrients bioavailability and aggregate formation in degraded soils

Publication date: Available online 25 November 2015 Source:Microbiological Research Author(s): Muhammad Imtiaz Rashid, Liyakat Hamid Mujawar, Tanvir Shahzad, Talal Almeelbi, Iqbal M.I. Ismail, Mohammad Oves Intensive agricultural practices and cultivation of exhaustive crops has deteriorated soil fertility and its quality in agroecosystems. According to an estimate, such practices will convert 30% of the total world cultivated soil into degraded land by 2020. Soil structure or fertility loss are the main cause of soil degradation. They are also considered as a major threat to crop production and food security for future generations. Implementing safe and environmental friendly technology would be viable solution for achieving sustainable restoration of degraded soils. Bacterial and fungal inocula have a potential to reinstate the fertility of degraded land through various processes. They increase the nutrient bioavailability through nitrogen fixation and mobilization of key nutrients (phosphorus, potassium and iron) to the crop plants while remediate soil structure by improving its aggregation and stability. Success rate of such inocula under field conditions depends on their antagonistic or synergistic interaction with indigenous microbes or their inoculation with organic fertilizers. Co-inoculation of bacteria and fungi with or without organic fertilizer are more beneficial for reinstating the soil fertility and organic matter content than single inoculum. T...
Source: Microbiological Research - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research