The role of phosphorus solublizing bacteria (psb) in soil management- an overview

Phosphorus is an essential element for plant growth and development. Because of its sparingly soluble nature it is present in very less proportion in the soil for plant uptake. Major proportions of soil-P remains interlocked in various insoluble forms and not available for plant use. To circumvent the P-deficiency, large amount of chemical P fertilizers are applied to attain reasonable crop yields. Indiscriminate use of P-fertilizers deteriorates the soil quality as well as cause negative impact in respect to both environment and economy. Consequently, it is important to search for sustainable strategies to alleviate the detrimental effects of chemical fertilizer on soil. Some bacterial species have a natural potential to solublize the phosphorus. The use of phosphorus solubilizing bacteria (PSBs) as an inoculant simultaneously enhances P availability to plants and crop yield. Present review emphasizes availability and dynamics of soil-phosphorus and the occurrence, mechanism and role of Phosphate solubilizing bacteria in sustainable management of soil by solubilization of fixed-phosphorus in relation to crop responses. This review exhaustively explores the potential of PSB to solublize phosphate by highlighting the current practices and future prospects of their utility in soil management.