A study of bacterial diversity associated with medicinal plants and their use in agriculture and allied sectors

Abstract

Of the enormous ecosystems on earth, those with the greatest biodiversity seem also to have the maximum number and the maximum diversity of microorganisms. India is rich in all the biodiversity viz., species, genetic and habitat diversity. Medicinal plants are the most biologically diverse system on earth and thus the greatest promising resource for the acquisition of novel microorganisms and their application. Nowadays, there is a renewed attention in traditional medicine and an increasing demand for more herbal drugs from plant sources. Out of them, microorganisms are ubiquitous and form a major segment of the ecosystem; it is commonly considered that they contribute to the evolutionary fitness of their host by producing a range of bioactive metabolites. newlineEndophytic microorganisms reside in the internal tissues, and live in mutualistic or symbiotic association with plants for at least a part of their life cycle without causing any visible symptom of infection and/or manifestation of disease. In recent years, endophytic actinobacteria as well as bacteria have attracted attention, with increasing information of isolates from a wide range of plant types, including agricultural and medicinal plants. Endophytic actinobacteria have been demonstrated to develop and endorse the host plants growth as well as to diminish disease severity caused by plant pathogens through a plethora of mechanisms. The discovery and characterization of potent endophytes have led to the better option of exploring the potential benefits of these microorganisms in agricultural and allied sectors. Until the present, a general understanding of the diversity, distribution, and properties of culturable endophytic actinomycetes and bacteria associated with traditional medicinal plants from unique environments and to facilitate further utilization of the various functions of this novel microbial source in agricultural is in its initial phase of exploration. The present study is focused towards exploring the diversity of bacterial endophytes and thei