Emergence of potassium solubilizing microbes-assisted crop processing for sustainable food production and microbial complexities

Abstract

The escalating global population and its consequent surge in food demand have driven the adoption of high-yielding varieties within an exhaustive production system. However, this approach has led to serious biological and natural complexities, including the intensive use of fertilizers, causing the depletion of crucial soil nutrients and environmental pollution. It necessitates the development of sustainable, biocompatible, non-contaminating, and eco-friendly agricultural strategies for cleaner crop production, keeping One health intact. In this context, Efficient rhizospheric microorganisms (ERMs), specifically potassium soluble microbes (KSMs), emerge as a sustainable and non-polluting solution to these complexities. This comprehensive review illustrates the KSMs as important vectors of chemical-free farming, making K available to plants by efficiently dissolving it from insoluble components, offering an economically viable and eco-friendly biofertilizer. It illustrates the diverse array of KSM species, including Bacillus, Cladosporium, Aminobacter, Sphingomonas, Enterobacter, Burkholderia, and Paenibacillus, exhibit high efficiency in solubilizing K. Employing various complex mechanisms, such as proton production through acidolysis, organic/inorganic acids, hydrogen ion-facilitated cation-exchange, chelation, and enzyme degradation for K solubilization, KSMs represent a green alternative to conventional chemical fertilizers, which has been detailed in this review. These mechanisms operate as interconnected and emergent behaviours within dynamic microbial-soil-plant systems. Further, it sheds light on the integration of modern genomics, post-genomics, and CRISPR-Cas genome editing tools that hold promise for unravelling the mechanisms of KSMs and developing highly efficient, sustainable K fertilizers. Consequently, a necessary paradigm shift is underway to harness the full sustainable potential of soil microbial biofertilizers, such as KSMs, ensuring a resilient and eco-conscious approach to sustainable agriculture.