Journal of Food Processing & Technology

Abstract

Use of Active Microrganisms in Crop Production - A Review

Zlata Holeckova, Martin Kulhanek and Jirl Balik

Phosphorus, other elements and natural resources are scarce, and so it is necessary to find alternative strategy to increase availability of nutrients for plants. One possible way could be application of so-called bioeffectors (BE) which should improve the mobilisation of nutrients (especially phosphorus) from less available forms in soil, improve plant growth and contribute to mycorrhiza development. BEs are commercially supplied products which contain active substances (live microorganisms and active natural compounds). BEs can be used in organic agriculture, because their application represents no risk for the environment. Several studies and experiments are focused on impact of bioeffectors’ application and their active compounds on plants. Experiments were performed under different conditions (field, pot, greenhouse), on various testing plants and on various bioeffectors. These BEs have been used as a fertilizer, fungicide or molluscicide and they were applied either to soil, seed or leaf. Application should increase growth of root system and above-ground part of plants and also nutrient uptake. These products are developed for a wide variety of crops (e.g. maize, wheat, tomatoes, rape, spinach, grass, ornamentals). This review summarizes the most recent knowledge in this scientific field.