article · Frontiers in Plant Science
Water scarcity driven by climate change poses a major threat to global barley production. Drought impairs seed germination, biomass accumulation, root and shoot development, water balance, and photosynthesis, while triggering oxidative stress that reduces overall grain yields. To counter these challenges, combining drought-tolerant barley genotypes with microbial bio-inoculants offers a resilient agroecological strategy. Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria assist crops through multiple mechanisms, including nutrient solubilisation, biological nitrogen fixation, phytohormone synthesis, exopolysaccharide secretion, and enhanced enzyme activity. Pairing these beneficial soil microorganisms with physiologically and agronomically tolerant crop varieties can alleviate physiological stress, boost plant growth, and protect barley yields under water-limited conditions.
Barley is a vital global food and agricultural staple, but rising water scarcity threatens its cultivation. Exploring natural solutions like beneficial soil microbes and resilient crop varieties helps farmers protect food supplies against extreme weather without relying exclusively on synthetic chemical inputs.
This work points to opportunities for agricultural biotechnology firms and seed developers to formulate microbial bio-inoculant products and breed drought-resilient barley varieties. Because the review synthesises existing mechanisms rather than presenting trial data or market-ready formulations, the approach remains at a concept and early-stage research level.
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With climate change, the frequency of regions experiencing water scarcity is increasing annually, posing a significant challenge to crop yield. Barley, a staple crop consumed and cultivated globally, is particularly susceptible to the detrimental effects of drought stress, leading to reduced yield production. Water scarcity adversely affects multiple aspects of barley growth, including seed germination, biomass production, shoot and root characteristics, water and osmotic status, photosynthesis, and induces oxidative stress, resulting in considerable losses in grain yield and its components. In this context, the present review aims to underscore the importance of selecting drought-tolerant barley genotypes and utilizing bio-inoculants constructed from beneficial microorganisms as an agroecological approach to enhance barley growth and production resilience under varying environmental conditions. Selecting barley genotypes with robust physiological and agronomic tolerance can mitigate losses under diverse environmental conditions. Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) play a crucial role in promoting plant growth through nutrient solubilization, nitrogen fixation, phytohormone production, exopolysaccharide secretion, enzyme activity enhancement, and many other mechanisms. Applying drought-tolerant genotypes with bio-inoculants containing PGPR, improves barley's drought tolerance thereby minimizing losses caused by water scarcity.
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DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1494987
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