The beneficial rhizosphere : a necessary strategy for microplant production

2000

Society's expectation that plant production systems will become more compatible with the environment requires the development of an agriculture with low chemical inputs. With microplants, this can be achieved successfully by the introduction of beneficial microorganisms, particularly those developing in the rhizosphere. Inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi has provided a wide range of examples of the usefulness of this technology. Recent results indicate that this application could be improved by combining mycorrhizal inoculation with other soil microbes with complementary beneficial effects. It is proposed that multimicrobial biotization is a valuable development for microplant technology.