© Springer International Publishing AG 2016 491
M. Farooq, K.H.M. Siddique (eds.), Innovations in Dryland Agriculture,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-47928-6_18
Application of Microbiology in Dryland
Agriculture
Minakshi Grover, B. Venkateswarlu, S. Desai, K.A. Gopinath,
and Cherukumalli Srinivasa Rao
1 Introduction
Microorganisms are important components of a soil ecosystem and play a key role
in belowground biogeochemical cycling (Rousk and Bengtson 2014 ). In addition to
exchanging nutritional benefits with plants, microorganisms assist plants to survive
under various environmental conditions such as biotic and abiotic stresses using
direct and indirect mechanisms. Thus, vibrant microbial communities interacting
with plants act as an ʻextended genotypeʼ of the host, with exploitable
implications.
Some beneficial microbes have been used in agriculture for a long time; for
example, rhizobia–organisms that inhabit the roots of leguminous plants and pro-
vide biologically-fixed nitrogen–were described by Martinus Beijerinck in 1888.
The farmer practice of moving soil from a healthy field to a sick field led to research
that proved that ʻdisease suppressionʼ in soil was due to live microorganisms. A few
plant-associated microbes have been extensively studied and exploited for agricul-
tural benefit. Significant progress has been made in the last few years in unraveling
the incredible diversity of the microbial world. In addition, the elaborate network of
interactions among plants, microbes and other soil inhabitants is being extensively
studied at molecular levels. Commercial applications of these discoveries are being
used to support plant growth, health and productivity (Reid and Greene 2012 ).
Drylands constitute approximately 41 % of the Earthʼs terrestrial surface and
support 38 % of its population (Maestre et al. 2015 ). These arid areas, including
diverse ecosystems such as deserts, savannahs and tropical dry forests, are often
M. Grover (*) • S. Desai • K.A. Gopinath • C. Srinivasa Rao
Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Santoshnagar, Hyderabad, 500059, India
e-mail: [email protected]
B. Venkateswarlu
Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani, India