Recent Advances in Streptomyces Biotechnology for Agricultural Applications
摘要
Among actinobacteria, Streptomyces have emerged as potential candidates for green agriculture due to their various metabolites, and metabolic capabilities. They are known prolific producers of great variety of metabolites such as antibiotics, phytohormones, enzymes along with other plant growth-promoting entities. They possess a tremendous credit of stimulating plant growth and suppressing plant diseases and also by enhancing soil health. According to the recent breakthrough studies, Streptomyces have also been used in the development of biofertilizers, biopesticides, biocontrol agents, biostimulants, and other metabolites, which can help in enhancing soil fertility. Their activities include plant growth-promoting hormones (such as indole acetic acid (IAA), gibberellins, and cytokinins), nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, and siderophore production. They are also very effective against controlling a wide range of plant diseases due to their ability to produce antimicrobial compounds that not only drive away fungi, bacteria, viruses but also enable plants to develop their own defense mechanisms. In addition to this, Streptomyces enrich the soil through the digestion of organic material, replenishment of nutrients, and the release of enzymes that can breakdown nutrients to simpler form. Advanced genetic engineering and Omics technology have enhanced agriculture by enabling strain development that can tolerate extreme conditions like stress, produce beneficial metabolites and biocontrol agents to address issues such as land degradation, change in climate, and the increasing demand for food security. The chapter will dwell on the current developments in employing Streptomyces in farming practices. It discusses their role in enhancing plant growth, disease control, as well as soil vitality. Finally, the chapter also covers the possible advantages and the challenges of using such kind of beneficial organisms to achieve more sustainable agriculture practices.