Enhancing ecosystem restoration and soil productivity through PGPR: a sustainable approach to bioremediation and biofertilization
Malika Oubohssaine, Laïla Sbabou, Jamal Aurag
Abstract
Abstract Soil degradation and contamination present critical challenges to global food security and environmental sustainability. This review synthesizes recent advances in the application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as a multifunctional tool for both sustainable agriculture and environmental remediation. This work highlights the novel integration of PGPR with organic amendments, nanotechnology-based materials, and biochar to enhance soil fertility, detoxify heavy metals, and promote climate-resilient crop production. PGPR support key microbial functions; such as nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization, phytohormone synthesis, and ACC deaminase activity; that collectively improve nutrient cycling, plant health, and pollutant degradation. The review further explores synergistic combinations involving PGPR, rock phosphate-enriched compost, and biostimulants, showing their effectiveness in field trials for increasing crop yields and remediating polluted soils. Novel insights into biofilm formation, siderophore-mediated metal chelation, and microbe-organic matter-nanoparticle interactions are discussed, offering a mechanistic understanding of how PGPR adapt and function in complex soil environments. Additionally, the role of earthworms in amplifying microbial efficacy is examined. By presenting an interdisciplinary framework, this review advances the concept of PGPR as a cornerstone of next-generation biofertilizers and bioremediation agents, with significant implications for reducing agrochemical dependency, restoring contaminated lands, and informing future microbe-based strategies in agroecology. Graphical abstract