REVIEW article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbe and Virus Interactions with Plants
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1575514
This article is part of the Research TopicRhizophagy and other cross-talks in RhizobiocomplexView all 3 articles
Zinc-Solubilizing Bacterial Consortia: A Promising Approach for Zinc Biofortification of Crops
Provisionally accepted
Viabhav Kumar Upadhayay1,2*
Saurabh Gangola1*
Gohar Taj3
Kumar Gaurav4Anju Rani1Sunil Kumar1
Shivanshu Garg3Gaurav Gupta2Haider Ali5
Sazada Siddiqui6
Saad A. M. Alamri6
Amit Mittal4
Sulaiman A. Alrumman6Mayank Pandey7- 1Graphic Era University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
- 2Chitkara Institute of Engineering & Technology, Chitkara University, Punjab, Punjab, India
- 3G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India
- 4Graphic Era Hill University, Dehradun, Uttrakhand, India
- 5Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- 6King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
- 7Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
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The word "Zinc Solubilizing Bacteria" (ZSB) refers to a special segment of soil bacteria that are associated with zinc solubilizing activity in the soil through adopting a wide range of mechanisms.The functional use of ZSB was anticipated for zinc (Zn) biofortification of crops for curbing Zn malnutrition. The use of zinc solubilizing bacterial inoculants harbouring substantial plant probiotic traits sets an eco-friendly mode for producing crops with improved Zn content in different edible portions of plants. In soil, ZSB solubilize complex forms of Zn compounds through the production of organic acids and by exhibiting other mechanisms (secretion of 'siderophore', extrusion of the 'proton', expression of 'oxidoreductive systems' on cell membranes and secretion of 'chelated ligands'), and thus the resulting soluble form of zinc is readily accessible to plants. ZSB, as plant growth stimulators, exhibit some direct and indirect mechanisms that support robust plant growth. In the past few years, the application of two or more ZSB strains as a consortium has gained attention as an inexpensive alternative approach for Zn biofortification. It may serve as a promising tactic for promoting plant growth and optimizing yield performance. This review discusses various methods of Zn biofortification, highlighting ZSB and their consortia in increasing Zn content in grains and other edible crop parts, as well as the mechanisms involved in Zn solubilization by bacteria. This insight facilitates new avenues for developing eco-friendly tactics that integrate microbial-based solutions for improving crop nutrient bioavailability.
Keywords: Zinc solubilizing bacteria, Zinc, biofortification, Consortia, Bacteria
Received: 12 Feb 2025; Accepted: 13 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Upadhayay, Gangola, Taj, Gaurav, Rani, Kumar, Garg, Gupta, Ali, Siddiqui, Alamri, Mittal, Alrumman and Pandey. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Viabhav Kumar Upadhayay, Graphic Era University, Dehradun, 248 002, Uttarakhand, India
Saurabh Gangola, Graphic Era University, Dehradun, 248 002, Uttarakhand, India
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.