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Application of Microbiology in Dryland Agriculture

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Innovations in Dryland Agriculture

Abstract

Microorganisms are key players in nutrient cycling and hence form important components of a soil ecosystem. Besides, improving nutrient availability, certain microorganisms also provide growth and health benefits to plants through direct and indirect mechanisms. Dryland soils are are poorly developed with low organic matter content and hence have poor water retention capacity. Besides, dryland soils face various abiotic stresses like nutrient imbalance, drought, heat etc. Application of organic based fertilizers improves the microbial populations and soil organic carbon. Cropping systems and residue management practices also influence microbial parameters in dryland soils. Increased abundance of microorganisms in dryland soil can help in improving soil aggregation and soil organic matter carbon content, thus increasing the water retention capacity of the soil. Besides, microbial inoculants with specific function such as nutrient solubilization and mobilization, plant growth promotion, disease control and abiotic stress management can be applied alone or in combination. Thus, the promotion of microbial-based technologies and/or the management practices that improve soil microbial parameters is important for the sustainability of dryland ecosystems.

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Acknowledgements

The authors of this manuscript are thankful to Indian Council of Agricultural Research for providing support under AMAAS (Application of Microorganisms in Agriculture and Allied Sectors) project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Santoshnagar, Hyderabad, 500059, India

    Minakshi Grover, S. Desai, K. A. Gopinath & Cherukumalli Srinivasa Rao

  2. Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani, India

    B. Venkateswarlu

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  1. Minakshi Grover
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  2. B. Venkateswarlu
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  3. S. Desai
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  4. K. A. Gopinath
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  5. Cherukumalli Srinivasa Rao
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Correspondence to Minakshi Grover .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Farooq

  2. The University of Western Australia Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

    Kadambot H.M. Siddique

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Grover, M., Venkateswarlu, B., Desai, S., Gopinath, K.A., Srinivasa Rao, C. (2016). Application of Microbiology in Dryland Agriculture. In: Farooq, M., Siddique, K. (eds) Innovations in Dryland Agriculture. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47928-6_18

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