Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are beneficial bacteria that play a crucial role in sustainable agriculture by enhancing plant growth through various mechanisms. This review examines the contributions of PGPR in improving nutrient availability, producing phytohormones, providing biocontrol against pathogens, and enhancing abiotic stress tolerance. By reducing the necessity for chemical fertilizers and pesticides, PGPR mitigate environmental impacts, enhance soil health, and support long-term agricultural productivity. However, challenges such as inconsistent performance across various soils, regulatory barriers, and limited farmer awareness, hinder their widespread adoption. Recent advancements in nano-encapsulation technology, genetic engineering, and bioinformatics, present promising solutions for overcoming these obstacles and enhancing PGPR efficacy. The incorporation of PGPR into biofertilizers, biopesticides, and integrated plant management (IPM) offers a sustainable resolution to global agricultural challenges. This review addresses the current state of PGPR research, applications, and future directions for optimizing their use in promoting sustainable agriculture.

Genetic engineering has revolutionized our ability to modify microorganisms for various applications in agriculture, medicine, and industry. This review examines recent advances in genetic engineering techniques for bacteria, fungi, and oomycetes, with a focus on CRISPR-Cas systems. In bacteria, CRISPR-Cas9 has enabled precise genome editing, enhancing applications in antibiotic production and metabolic engineering. For fungi, despite challenges associated with their complex cell structures, CRISPR/Cas9 has advanced the production of enzymes and secondary metabolites. In oomycetes, significant plant pathogens, modified Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, and CRISPR/Cas12a have contributed to developing disease-resistant crops. This review provides a comparative analysis of genetic engineering efficiencies across these microorganisms and addresses ethical and regulatory considerations. Future research directions include refining genetic tools to improve efficiency and expand applicability in non-model organisms. This comprehensive overview highlights the transformative potential of genetic engineering in microbiology and its implications for addressing global challenges in agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology.

Genetic engineering has revolutionized our ability to modify microorganisms for various applications in agriculture, medicine, and industry. This review examines recent advances in genetic engineering techniques for bacteria, fungi, and oomycetes, with a focus on CRISPR-Cas systems. In bacteria, CRISPR-Cas9 has enabled precise genome editing, enhancing applications in antibiotic production and metabolic engineering. For fungi, despite challenges associated with their complex cell structures, CRISPR/Cas9 has advanced the production of enzymes and secondary metabolites. In oomycetes, significant plant pathogens, modified Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and CRISPR/Cas12a have contributed to developing disease-resistant crops. The review provides a comparative analysis of genetic engineering efficiencies across these microorganisms and addresses ethical and regulatory considerations. Future research directions include refining genetic tools to improve efficiency and expand applicability in non-model organisms. This comprehensive overview highlights the transformative potential of genetic engineering in microbiology and its implications for addressing global challenges in agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are beneficial bacteria that play a crucial role in sustainable agriculture by enhancing plant growth through various mechanisms. This review examines the contributions of PGPR in improving nutrient availability, producing phytohormones, providing biocontrol against pathogens, and enhancing abiotic stress tolerance. By reducing the necessity for chemical fertilizers and pesticides, PGPR mitigate environmental impacts, enhance soil health, and support long-term agricultural productivity. However, challenges such as inconsistent performance across various soils, regulatory barriers, and limited farmer awareness hinder their widespread adoption. Recent advancements in nano-encapsulation technology, genetic engineering, and bioinformatics present promising solutions for overcoming these obstacles and enhancing PGPR efficacy. The incorporation of PGPR into biofertilizers, biopesticides, and integrated pest management (IPM) strategies offers a sustainable resolution to global agricultural challenges. This review addresses the current state of PGPR research, applications, and future directions for optimizing their use in promoting sustainable agriculture.

Background: Microorganisms have developed resistance as a result of the overuse of antibiotics. Finding alternatives to restrict the proliferation of microorganisms, especially those derived from plants, that are readily available and have notably fewer negative effects is therefore imperative. The current study compared the antibacterial properties of organic acids (lactic and acetic acids), Zingiber officinale, and Allium sativum aqueous extracts against Campylobacter jejuni‘s ability to survive on chicken meat.Methods: An agar well diffusion assay was used to measure the antibacterial activity of each organic acid and aqueous extract against five Campylobacter jejuni isolates. Using the broth microdilution method, the aqueous extracts’ Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was examined. Using a food model, the log reduction test was used to assess the extracts’ and organic acids’ antibacterial properties.Results: The highest zone of inhibition was seen against Allium sativum (22±2.00mm), followed by Zingiber officinale (20.3±1.5mm), lactic acid (15.3±0.5mm) and acetic acid (13.6±0.5mm), and Allium sativum and Zingiber officinale were found to have MICs of 3.5% and 2.5% (v/v), respectively. After 100 minutes of contact at 25°C, aqueous extract of Allium sativum showed the best results (3.31±0.39 log CFU/g) on the log reduction assay followed by Zingiber officinale (2.36±0.13 log CFU/g), lactic acid (2.22±0.02 log CFU/g) and acetic acid (1.36±0.09 log CFU/g).Conclusion: Allium sativum, Zingiber officinale, and organic acids have potent anti-Campylobacter properties and can be utilized safely to lower the Campylobacter jejuni load when processing chicken meat.KeywordsOrganic acid, Zingiber officinale, Allium sativum, Campylobacter jejuni, log reduction assay, campylobacteriosis