Promoting the Use of Bio-fertilizers to Improve Soil Health

Biofertilizers contain a variety of microorganisms that can improve plant nutrient uptake by colonizing the rhizosphere and subsequently making nutrients more accessible to the plant. In addition, they have also been shown to be effective in suppressing a range of soil-borne plant pathogens. Consequently, biofertilizers have the potential to help farmers maintain agricultural output while also reducing our reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Their use therefore has been purported to be one way to improve soil health and promote greater agricultural sustainability. Despite this, however, biofertilizers continue to be widely underutilized and have failed to reach their full potential.

Typically, biofertilizers may contain symbiotic and free-living nitrogen-fixers, phosphorus-solubilizers and mycorrhizas, however, there is also great potential to include other microorganisms within the mixtures. The science-led optimization of these biofertilizers for different soil-crop combinations, however, remains in its infancy. Although a wide range of biofertilizer formulations are now commercially available further research is needed to evaluate the mechanistic basis of biofertilizers in different environmental and management contexts. In addition, more research is needed to understand the socioeconomic, legal, commercial and practical barriers to the adoption of biofertilizers.

To better understand the impact of biofertilizers in agroecosystems, this topic welcomes manuscripts on (but not limited to) the following:

1. Influence of biofertilizers on soil quality
2. Influence of biofertilizers on crop quality
3. Influence of biofertilizers on crop productivity
4. Influence of biofertilizers on biotic and abiotic stress management
5. Modification of microenvironment for better performance of biofertilizers
6. Use of metagenomics to evaluate the impact of biofertilizers on the soil microbiome
7. The optimization of biofertilizers for promoting biological N-fixation

Keywords: Soil, Biofertilizers, Microbiomes, microenvironment

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.