Plant growth promotion by microbes

B. Lugtenberg, [No Value] Malfanova, F. Kamilova, Gabriele Berg

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

The world’s population is assumed to increase from 7 billion now to 8.3 billion in 2025. The world will need 70–100% more food by 2050 (Godfray et al., 2010). Therefore, the production of cereals, especially wheat, rice, and maize, which accounts for half of human calorie intake, has to be increased. Currently, plant growth is enhanced by the input of chemicals which act as plant growth regulators (using a hormonal mechanism) and as nutrients. Of the nutrients added to the soil, nitrogen and phosphorus are the major ones. They are, together with potassium, applied as chemical fertilizers to improve grain yield. According to Roberts (2009), the present global annual use of chemical nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash fertilizer is 130, 40, and 35 million tonnes, respectively. The high input of chemicals raises a number of concerns such as water contamination leading to
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMolecular Microbial Ecology of the Rhizosphere
Place of PublicationHoboken, New Jersey
PublisherJohn Wiley & Sons
Pages561-573
Publication statusPublished - 2013

Fields of Expertise

  • Sonstiges

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