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C. A., Trytek, L., Gunadi, B.,
gy, Kamaraj College of Engineering and
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India, for their constant support and en-
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couragement.
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© 2017 by the authors. Licensee, Editors and AIMST University, Ma-
laysia. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms
and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
ISBN: 978-967-14475-3-6; eISBN: 978-967-14475-2-9 222
Biotechnology for Sustainability
Achievements, Challenges and Perspectives
Biotech Sustainability (2017), P223-247
Bacterial Endophytes as Biofertilizers and Biocontrol
Agents for Sustainable Agriculture
Amrutha V. Audipudi1, *, Bhaskar V. Chakicherla2 and Shubhash Janardhan Bhore3
1Department of Microbiology, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Nagarjuna Nagar 522510,
Andhra Pradesh, India; 2Department of Botany, V.R College, Affiliated to V.S. University,
Nellore 524002, A.P, India; 3Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences,
AIMST University, Bedong-Semeling Road, 08100 Bedong, Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia;
*Correspondence: audipudiamrita@gmail.com; Tel.: +91 9440995842
Abstract: Plant health and development promoted through microbial interactions have been
the main motif for sustainable agriculture. To find new and beneficial endophytic microor-
ganisms from plants of different ecosystems is highly considerable because endophytic bac-
teria are not restricted to a specific species but showed a wide range of host diversity. En-
dophytes colonize an ecological niche similar to that of phytopathogens and baffle disease
development through endophyte-mediated de novo synthesis of novel compounds and anti-
fungal metabolites. Seedling emergence, plant growth and plant’s establishment under ad-
verse conditions can be accelerated by endophytes. Endophytic Pseudomonas sp. and Bacil-
lus sp. recorded a significant improvement in morphological characters and ISR in the
plantlets. Endophyte fortifies plant cell wall strength, alters host physiology and metabolic
responses thereby enhance the defense mechanism by the synthesis of different metabo-
lites such as phenolic compounds, pathogenicity related protein (PR-1, PR-2, PR-5), oxida-
tive stress enzymes (chitinases, peroxidases, polyphenyoxidase, phenyl alanine ammonia
lyase, Oxidase and/or chalcone synthase, phytoalexins etc. The contribution of endophytes
as biological fertilizers is highly significant because of their metabolic acclimatization in
the host plant with mutualism. Endophytic microbes must be properly selected, combined
and formulated with respect to the environmental conditions for development of efficient
endophytic biofertilizers that can very much contribute to the enhanced food production in
the world. This review aims to provide an overview on bacterial endophytes and their po-
tential application for sustainable agriculture.
Keywords: Agriculture; biocontrol; endophytes; endophytic bacteria; induced systemic re-
sistance; phytopathogens; plant growth promotion; sustainable development
1. Introduction
1999). Plant–microbe interactions that
promote plant health and development
Agriculture and agri-food sector is
have been the subject of considerable
expected to move towards environmental-
study for sustainable agriculture. A re-
ly sustainable development by increasing
newed interest in the internal colonization
the productivity and protecting the natural
of healthy plants by non- rhizobium bac-
resource base for future generations.
teria and exploitation of their potential in
Greater productivity and competitiveness
agriculture becomes apparent (Fahey et
are anticipated to come from increased
al., 1991; Kloepper et al., 1992; Turner et
efficiency through the acquisition and
al., 1993). Rhizosphere bacteria which
management of new biotechnologies and
can easily colonize the internal roots and
crop production strategies (Stutz et al.,
stems are major source of endophytes
ISBN: 978-967-14475-3-6; eISBN: 978-967-14475-2-9 223
Biotech Sustainability (2017)
Bacterial Endophytes as Bio fertilizers and Bio control Agents… Audipudi et al.
(Figure 1) and often phyllosphere bacteria
Siciliano, 2001; Zinniel et al., 2002; Ses-
may also be a source of endophytes
sitsch et al., 2002; Dent et al., 2004; Sun
(Hallmann et al., 1997; Germaine et al.,
et al., 2008). More than 200 bacterial
2004). Though each individual plant ex-
genera from 16 phyla have been reported
ists on the earth is a host to one or more
as endophytes since the first report of en-
endophytes (Strobel et al., 2004), only a
dophytic bacteria (Samish et al., 1963a)
few of these plants have ever been com-
and include both culturable and uncul-
pletely studied to their endophytic biolo-
turable bacteria (Sun et al., 2008; Berg
gy and to find novel beneficial endophytic
and Hallmann, 2006; Mengoni et al.,
microorganisms.
2009; Manter et al., 2010; Sessitsch et al.,
2012). Most predominantly studied endo-
2. Endophytic bacterial diversity in the
phytes belong to three major phyla ( Ac-
host plants
tinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Firmicu-
tes) and include members of Streptomyces
Endophytic bacteria were isolated
(Suzuki et al., 2005), Azoarcus (Krause et
from both monocotyledonous and dicoty-
al., 2006), Acetobacter (renamed as Glu-
ledonous plants (Table 1) ranging from
conobacter) (Bertalan et al., 2009), Pseu-
woody trees to herbaceous crops such as
domonas, Serratia, Stenotrophomonas
prairie plants, agronomic crops, tuberous
(Ryan et al., 2009), Enterobacter (Ped-
crops
and
grasses
(McInroy
and
rosa et al., 2011). Bacteria which are
Kloepper, 1995; Gutiérrez-Zamora and
ubiquitous in the soil/ rhizosphere repre-
Martínez-Romero, 2001; Germida and
sent the main source of endophytic
Figure 1: Plant colonization routes by endophytic bacteria.
ISBN: 978-967-14475-3-6; eISBN: 978-967-14475-2-9 224
Bacterial Endophytes as Bio fertilizers and Bio control Agents… Audipudi et al.
Table 1: Monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants that harbor bacterial endophytes
(Sudhir and Audipudi, 2014)
Plant species
Endophytes
Reference
Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
Rhizobium leguminosarum,
Yanni et al., 1997,
Pseudomonas
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Sphingomonas paucimobilis
Chromobacterium violaceum,
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Bradyrhizobium japonicum
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