Plant beneficial microbes in mitigating the nutrient cycling for sustainable agriculture and food security

Abstract Food security is a major global threat due to increased population size and insufficient arable land. The predicted doubling in global food demand over the next 50 years poses a huge challenge to agricultural sustainability. To meet the current food demands, farmers and policy makers are facing difficulties and using heavy doses of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to enhance agricultural productivity, which ultimately leads to land degradation and biodiversity loss. The perfect way to enhance food production is to make use of beneficial microbes including plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) and mycorrhizal fungi, capable of countering biotic and abiotic stresses such as nutrient acquisition without harming soil and water resources. The PGPB play vital roles in efficient use of resources, organic matter recycling, mineral solubilization, plant growth regulator production, nitrogen fixation, and restoration of degraded soils for enhancing crop productivity. Similarly, mycorrhiza helps in mediating the transport of nutrients, limiting absorption of toxic elements, and ultimately contributing to food safety and food security. The presence of available minerals in the soil is the major limiting factor in enhancing crop productivity. Here, we have described the role of plant beneficial microorganisms in nutrient recycling for sustainable agriculture.