Role of Soil Microbiome and Enzyme Activities in Plant Growth Nutrition and Ecological Restoration of Soil Health

The soil consists of a plethora of both biotic and abiotic matter and provides the medium for plant growth, habitat for microorganism, which plays an important role in maintaining and contributing to the ecosystem service. The soil microbial community is an important component as they are involved in organic matter decomposition, nutrient cycles, and soil health. Likewise, enzymes in soil are also known for substantial role in energy transfer, catalyzing reactions necessary for all life processes, and also used as indicator of soil health. Soil microbes and enzyme are co-dependent with one another enhancing soil fertility by increasing the nutrient availability for plant growth. For instance, microbes like bacteria, fungi, and algae form association with soil rhizosphere like plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria which regulate plant growth by producing hormones and protect plant from disease-causing pathogen. In addition, microbes and enzymes play key role in the removal of harmful chemical or pollutants present in the soil through bioremediation. Herein, the details of various role of soil microbes and enzyme activities in improving the soil health and maintaining the soil structure were discussed and further, the application of new technologies like metagenomics and metaproteomics in indentification of noval microbes and their applications with huge agroeconomical potential were highlighted.