Full text

Turn on search term navigation

© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Phosphorus (P) is one of the essential macronutrients for plant growth, being a highly required resource to improve the productive performance of several crops, especially in highly weathered soils. However, a large part of the nutrients applied in the form of fertilizers becomes “inert” in the medium term and cannot be assimilated by plants. Rationalizing the use of phosphorus is a matter of extreme importance for environmental sustainability and socioeconomic development. Therefore, alternatives to the management of this nutrient are needed, and the use of P-solubilizing microorganisms is an option to optimize its use by crops, allowing the exploration of less available fractions of the nutrient in soils and reducing the demand for phosphate fertilizers. The objective of this study is to discuss the importance of phosphorus and how microorganisms can intermediate its sustainable use in agriculture. In this review study, we present several studies about the role of microorganisms as phosphorus mobilizers in the soil. We describe the importance of the nutrient for the plants and the main problems related to the unsustainable exploitation of its natural reserves and the use of chemical fertilizers. Mainly we highlight how microorganisms constitute a fundamental resource for the release of the inert portion of the nutrient, where we describe several mechanisms of solubilization and mineralization. We also discussed the benefits that the inoculation of P-solubilizing microorganisms provides to crops as well as practices of using them as bioinoculants. The use of microorganisms as inoculants is a viable resource for the future of sustainable agriculture, mainly because its application can significantly reduce the application of P and, consequently, reduce the exploitation of phosphorus and its reserves. In addition, new research must be conducted for the development of new technologies, prospecting new biological products, and improvement of management practices that allow for higher efficiency in the use of phosphorus in agriculture.

Details

Title
Phosphorus-Solubilizing Microorganisms: A Key to Sustainable Agriculture
Author
Leandro Israel da Silva 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Marlon Correa Pereira 2 ; André Mundstock Xavier de Carvalho 3 ; Buttrós, Victor Hugo 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Pasqual, Moacir 4 ; Dória, Joyce 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Biology Department, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras 37200-000, MG, Brazil 
 Biological Science and Health Institute, Federal University of Viçosa—Campus Rio Paranaiba, Rio Paranaiba 38810-000, MG, Brazil 
 Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Viçosa—Campus Rio Paranaiba, Rio Paranaiba 38810-000, MG, Brazil 
 Agriculture Department, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras 37200-000, MG, Brazil 
First page
462
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20770472
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2779491064
Copyright
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.