The genus Bacillus represent a diverse group of Gram positive, rod-shaped, spore-forming, aerobic bacteria with many species play significant role in plant growth and enhancing plant’s tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Owing to functional versatility, widespread distribution and ability to form heat-resistant endospores, Bacillus spp. has gained much attention and emerged as potential candidates for microbial inoculants and biostimulants. They colonize both in plant tissues and rhizosphere and closely communicate with the host plant across diverse environments. Beneficial Bacillus species improve growth and yield of crop plants by employing several direct and indirect mechanisms. The endospore-forming ability enhances their persistence under adverse conditions and facilitates the development of formulations with prolonged shelf life. Multifunctional potential of plant associated Bacillus spp. offers considerable opportunities to improve crop productivity, enhance stress resilience and reduce dependence on chemical inputs, thereby contributing to sustainable crop production.
Bhattacharya, A., Santhosh, J., Krishnananda, T.S., Sadhikh, P.P.S., Prasanth, N., Nysanth, N.S., 2026. Bacillus spp.: Promising agents for plant growth promotion. Biotica Research Today 8(10), 179-182.
Bacillus spp., Biological control, Endophytic bacteria, Rhizosphere bacteria
Akinrinlola, R.J., Yuen, G.Y., Drijber, R.A., Adesemoye, A.O., 2018. Evaluation of Bacillus strains for plant growth promotion and predictability of efficacy by in vitro physiological traits. International Journal of Microbiology 2018(1), 5686874. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/5686874
Miljaković, D., Marinković, J., Balešević-Tubić, S., 2020. The significance of Bacillus spp. in disease suppression and growth promotion of field and vegetable crops. Microorganisms 8(7), 1037. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8071037
Salazar, B., Ortiz, A., Keswani, C., Minkina, T., Mandzhieva, S., Singh, S.P., Rekadwad, B., Borriss, R., Jain, A., Singh, H.B., Sansinenea, E., 2023. Bacillus spp. as bio-factories for antifungal secondary metabolites: Innovation beyond whole organism formulations. Microbial Ecology 86(1), 1-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-022-02044-2
Yashaswini, M.S., Nysanth, N.S., Anith, K.N., 2021. Endospore-forming bacterial endophytes from Amaranthus spp. improve plant growth and suppress leaf blight (Rhizoctonia solani Kühn) disease of Amaranthus tricolor L. Rhizosphere 19, 100387. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rhisph.2021.100387
