Exploring microbial symbionts for improving soybean production and soil carbon sequestration

Abstract

To meet UN 2030’s agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the use of non-renewable bioresources is being campaigned globally to ensure food security and resource sustainability while minimizing environmental impact. Among oilseeds, soybean is the most important leading oilseed crop worldwide and being a high rich seed protein (40%) crop requires high N for its growth. Its requirement is largely met through biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and to certain extent from native pool. BNF in soybean takes place via specific N fixing symbiotic bacteria (e.g., bradyrhizobia) inside the root nodules of the plant-soil rhizosphere (rhizobiome) wherein other microbes such as arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are also actively involved in performing various soil functions. However, during crop growth, BNF activity is limited by number of environmental and ecological factors. Amongst all, drought and nutritional stress are the most limiting factors affecting the productivity of soybean. Hence to mitigate the adverse conditions, improve soil biological health and overall productivity there is need to have well adapted microbial symbionts such as super nodulating and moisture tolerant soybean rhizobia and AM fungi for sustaining the productivity of soybean.