Microbial endophytes as probiotics for the plant health: an overview

Abstract

Probiotics act as biostimulants and are applied to crop microbiome to improve growth, development, alleviation of abiotic stress, fitness, and enhanced immune responses. Endophytic microbes and derived substances are extensively formulated as probiotics that are introduced to elicit a positive change in plant fitness. Endophytes-based bioformulation has been predominantly effective in agronomic crops because of their biocontrol activity against phytopathogen. This chapter elaborately focused on the recent prospectus of endophytic microbes as probiotics that modulate numerous mechanisms that participate during the probiotic–plant interactions. The colonization and induction of positive traits include acquiring nutrients, secretion of secondary metabolites, siderophores, and phytohormone production, stimulating resistance responses in crops, and developing defense mechanisms in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. Presently, the search for novel endophytic with multifarious functions received great attention due to its application in the rhizosphere and seed engineering that modulate structure, composition, diversity, and beneficial traits of crops. The recent development of endophytic microbes encourages its application in agricultural sectors to improve crop production. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.