Phosphate Solubilizing Bio-fertilizers and Their Role in Bio-available P Nutrient: An Overview
Reshid Abafita Abawari, Fasil Asefa Tuji, Diriba Muleta Yadete
Abstract
Soil is an ecosystem that plays a fundamental role in the availability of plant nutrients and contains a diverse array of beneficial microorganisms which can play a key role in soil fertility enhancement. Soil fertility management strategies for improving plant nutrients and crop productivity include the use of application of composts, vermicomposts and manures, and application of biofertilizer or microbial inoculants. The application of efficient phosphate-solubilizing microbial inoculants in agriculture opens up new insight for future crop productivity besides sustaining soil health. Development in the use of phosphate solublizing bio-inoculants are one of the recently promising options for meeting agricultural challenges imposed by the still growing demand for food. In this regard this review will show that phosphate-solubilizing microbes (PSMs) have tremendous potential as bio-fertilizers. Bio-fetilizer technologies can contribute to efficient utilization of limited resource of phosphorus fertilizers under low-input farming systems and guarantee the environment for livelihood. To strengthen the application of phosphate solublizing bio-inoculants, there is a need to know and understand the methods for their isolation and characterization of phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms and the mechanisms they used to solublize phosphate to make it available for plant nutrition. At the same time there is a need to understand various sources of bio-inoculants used for the primary isolation and characterization of indigenous phosphate solublizers which will be focused in this review. This review will also provide a broad spectrum for the various mechanisms of phosphate solublization and its impact in sustainable agriculture.