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C. Pandey et al.
chemical fertilizer and able to cope its adverse effects on both soil and ecology and
reverse plant–soil ecosystem.
Keywords PGPR · Crop yield · Rhizosphere · Nutrient management
13.1 Introduction
Agriculture has been and will continue to be the backbone of food availability and
food security. It directly sustains the livelihood of about two-third of the global population, and is the lifeline of agro-industries. However, over time, the sustainability
of agricultural growth has emerged as a central issue confronting many countries in
the world. This issue has become even more important as the pressure on land and
other natural resources has increased manifold with an increase in population and per
capita consumption of food grains (Negi 2005). As the world population is dwelling,
food availability has to be increased corresponding to meet out the increasing food
demand. The current world population of 7.6 billion and is expected to reach 8.6
billion in the year 2030 and 9.8 billion in 2050 (UNDESA 2017). Therefore, the
use of agrochemicals has become important to sustain agriculture production and
fulfill the food requirement of all human beings worldwide. Initially, the use of these
chemicals was much promoted among the farmers to grow the crops at their best.
However, their long-term headforemost application results in low soil fertility and
increases the dependency of farmers on these agrochemicals.
Farmers use a variety of agrochemicals and depend on them for the successful
production of their crops. Another constraint of agriculture production is decreasing
land availability for farming. This will further lead to the enhancement of nutrient
load per unit area in soil. The depletion of nutrients in the soil is, therefore resulting in
poor plant growth and productivity. Plants require 16 essential nutrients or elements
for adequate growth and production. Three of these, carbon (C), oxygen (O), and
hydrogen (H) are drawn from water and the air. The remaining elements are taken up
from the soil (Gellings and Parmenter 2016). These nutrients have been divided into
three categories viz. macronutrients, micronutrients, and trace elements (Table 13.1).
Crop health and productivity depend on the availability of these nutrients and
their uptake as well. However, this is well known that most of the nutrients in the
soil are present in complex or unavailable forms. Inorganic fertilizers are thus manufactured in plant-available forms. Therefore, as these fertilizers are amended in soil,
the nutrients get quickly released and become available for plant uptake. Fertilizers
undoubtedly increase productivity and fulfill the food demand but, at the same time,
their adverse effects on soil, environment, and human beings increase many-fold.
Unfortunately, residual accumulation of these harmful chemicals in grains, fruits,
and other edible parts has been reported in recent years by many researchers (Bhanti
and Taneja 2007; Gurusubramanian et al. 2008; Singh et al. 2008). Consumption of
such contaminated produces may cause serious health problems (e.g., allergic reactions, intestinal disorders, hormonal imbalance, and even cancer) in human beings
C. Pandey et al.
chemical fertilizer and able to cope its adverse effects on both soil and ecology and
reverse plant–soil ecosystem.
Keywords PGPR · Crop yield · Rhizosphere · Nutrient management
13.1 Introduction
Agriculture has been and will continue to be the backbone of food availability and
food security. It directly sustains the livelihood of about two-third of the global population, and is the lifeline of agro-industries. However, over time, the sustainability
of agricultural growth has emerged as a central issue confronting many countries in
the world. This issue has become even more important as the pressure on land and
other natural resources has increased manifold with an increase in population and per
capita consumption of food grains (Negi 2005). As the world population is dwelling,
food availability has to be increased corresponding to meet out the increasing food
demand. The current world population of 7.6 billion and is expected to reach 8.6
billion in the year 2030 and 9.8 billion in 2050 (UNDESA 2017). Therefore, the
use of agrochemicals has become important to sustain agriculture production and
fulfill the food requirement of all human beings worldwide. Initially, the use of these
chemicals was much promoted among the farmers to grow the crops at their best.
However, their long-term headforemost application results in low soil fertility and
increases the dependency of farmers on these agrochemicals.
Farmers use a variety of agrochemicals and depend on them for the successful
production of their crops. Another constraint of agriculture production is decreasing
land availability for farming. This will further lead to the enhancement of nutrient
load per unit area in soil. The depletion of nutrients in the soil is, therefore resulting in
poor plant growth and productivity. Plants require 16 essential nutrients or elements
for adequate growth and production. Three of these, carbon (C), oxygen (O), and
hydrogen (H) are drawn from water and the air. The remaining elements are taken up
from the soil (Gellings and Parmenter 2016). These nutrients have been divided into
three categories viz. macronutrients, micronutrients, and trace elements (Table 13.1).
Crop health and productivity depend on the availability of these nutrients and
their uptake as well. However, this is well known that most of the nutrients in the
soil are present in complex or unavailable forms. Inorganic fertilizers are thus manufactured in plant-available forms. Therefore, as these fertilizers are amended in soil,
the nutrients get quickly released and become available for plant uptake. Fertilizers
undoubtedly increase productivity and fulfill the food demand but, at the same time,
their adverse effects on soil, environment, and human beings increase many-fold.
Unfortunately, residual accumulation of these harmful chemicals in grains, fruits,
and other edible parts has been reported in recent years by many researchers (Bhanti
and Taneja 2007; Gurusubramanian et al. 2008; Singh et al. 2008). Consumption of
such contaminated produces may cause serious health problems (e.g., allergic reactions, intestinal disorders, hormonal imbalance, and even cancer) in human beings