Intensifying agricultural production involves an active use of agrochemicals, which results in disrupted ecological balance and poor product quality. To address this issue, we need to introduce biologized science-intensive technologies. Bacteria belonging to the genera Azotobacter and Pseudomonas have complex growth-stimulating properties and therefore can be used as a bioproduct to increase plant productivity. We aimed to create a growth-stimulating consortium based on the strains of the genera Azotobacter and Pseudomonas, as well as to select optimal cultivation parameters that provide the best synergistic effect. We studied strains Azotobacter chroococcum B-4148, Azotobacter vinelandii B-932, and Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aurantiaca B-548, which were obtained from the National Bioresource Center “All-Russian Collection of Industrial Microorganisms” of Kurchatov Institute. All the test strains solubilized phosphates and produced ACC deaminase. They synthesized 0.98–1.33 mg/mL of gibberellic acid and produced 37.95–49.55% of siderophores. Their nitrogen-fixing capacity ranged from 49.23 to 151.22 μg/mL. The strain had high antagonistic activity against phytopathogens. In particular, A. chroococcum B-4148 and A. vinelandii B-932 inhibited the growth of Fusarium graminearum, Bipolaris sorokiniana, and Erwinia rhapontici, while P. chlororaphis subsp. aurantiaca B-548 exhibited antagonism against F. graminearum and B. sorokiniana. Since all the test strains were biologically compatible, they were used to create several consortia. The greatest synergistic effect was achieved by Consortium No. 6 that contained the strains B-4148, B-932, and B-548 in a ratio of 1:3:1. The optimal nutrient medium for this consortium contained 25.0 g/L of Luria-Bertani medium, 8.0 g/L molasses, 0.1 g/L magnesium sulfate heptahydrate, and 0.01 g/L of aqueous manganese sulfate. The optimal cultivation temperature was 28°C. The microbial consortium created in our study has high potential for application in agricultural practice. Further research will focus on its effect on the growth and development of plants, in particular cereal crops, under in vitro conditions and in field experiments.

The Kemerovo region is a region of extreme farming, and therefore requires the development of effective biological methods for improving productivity of cultivated plants adapted to these conditions. The purpose of the current work was to find plant growth-stimulating microorganisms associated with spring barley, as well as to form a microbial consortium on their basis and to conduct field trial. The objects of the study were spring barley seeds selected in the Kemerovo region, growth-stimulating microorganisms isolated from them, and consortia formed on their basis. During the study, there were isolated and tested 9 bacterial isolates for their ability to synthesize growth-stimulating substances (kinetin and indolyl-3-acetic acid). There were selected three strains with the best indicators SHv-2, SHv-5, SHv-6 for further studies. There has been found that the strains are capable of fixing nitrogen (SHv-2 – 800 µg/ml; SHv-5 – 210 µg/ml; SHv-6 – 840 µg/ml). There was also seen an ability to solubilize phosphates (SHv-2 – 2.53; SHv-5 – 1.25; SHv-6 – 3.33). The study of cultural, morphological and biochemical properties made it possible to identify such strains as SHv-2 – Pantoea allii; SHv-5 – Raoultella ornithinolytica; SHv-6 – Pantoea ananatis. Based on these microorganisms, there were made various variants of microbial consortia, which were also valued for their ability to produce growth-promoting substances and fix nitrogen. Consortium MC-7 composed with Pantoea allii, Raoultella ornithinolytica, Pantoea ananatis in a ratio of 1:1:3, respectively, showed maximum activity in terms of the studied parameters. Field trials of this consortium have shown that it successfully improves spring barley productivity. Despite abnormal weather conditions (lack of productive rains), there was an increase in the growth of crops treated by the consortium in comparison with control options. There have been established the most promising options for processing spring barley, options 3 and 4.

Hidden hunger is a significant social issue in numerous countries worldwide, causing the development of nutrition-related diseases among populations annually. Biofortification offers a sustainable solution as it combines methods of cross-breeding, genetic engineering, agriculture, and microbiology. The authors reviewed international studies in the field of microbial biofortification in order to assess the microbial potential to enh ance the essential element content in grain crops. The review featured relevant scientific articles published by foreign experts in Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar in 1984–2024. The keywords included biofortification, wheat, rice, oats, growth stimulation, antagonism, and phytopathogen. The sources were processed in Zotero and VOSviewer. Nitrogen fixation and nutrient solubilization are the main mechanisms of microbial biofortification. Solubilization occurs as a synthesis of organic and inorganic acids, protons, siderophores, extracellular enzymes, and other secondary metabolites. Microorganisms can improve the expression of plant genes in terms of absorption and nutrient accumulation. They also affect root systems, facilitating the extraction of nutrients from the soil. The authors summarized laboratory and field studies on microbial biofortification of rice, wheat, and barley with iron, selenium, zinc, copper, manganese, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Biofortified growth-promoting microorganisms are a sustainable, reliable, and cost-effective approach to food security and hidden hunger issues. The review offers relevant information that can be used to develop new microbial preparations for the domestic agriculture.

Global population growth requires highly efficient and environmentally sustainable agricultural technologies that can ensure food security with minimal environmental impact. As an alternative to chemical preparations, organic farming uses biological mechanisms to provide plants with nutrients. This review systematizes the current data on the genomics of nitrogen-fixing bacteria of the genus Sinorhizobium. The review covered articles published in 1993–2025 and indexed in Scopus, MDPI, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. The metadata were processed in Zotero and VOSviewer. The review summarizes information about the structure of Sinorhizobium genomes, key genes, and regulatory networks involved in the formation of symbiosis with host plants. It focuses on the molecular mechanisms that determine the effectiveness of biological nitrogen fixation and transport of iron, zinc, and phosphates. The obtained genomic data may be used to develop tailored biological products capable of increasing crop yield and stress resistance by targeted modification of the rhizosphere microbiome. The latest scientific achievements and solutions demonstrate a great potential for sustainable agricultural technologies that replace chemical fertilizers with microbial communities. This approach reduces environmental risks and ensures a long-term productivity of agroecosystems, supporting climate resilience biodiversity conservation and stable agricultural development.

Probiotics are live microorganisms that confer documented health benefits upon the host. Among these, Lactobacilli remain the most popular probiotic cultures, largely due to their efficacy in preventing metabolic disorders. This article evaluates the probiotic potential of several Lactobacillus strains as key functional ingredients in metabolic dietary supplements and functional foods. The research featured Lactobacillus plantarum (B-5772, B-11264, B-3242), Lactobacillus fermentum (B-7574, B-7573), Lactobacillus acidophilus (B-194, B-2585, B-2900), and Lactobacillus casei (B-7951). The disc diffusion method revealed the degree of antibiotic resistance while the agar diffusion method made it possible to assess their antagonistic activity. The nutrient media were tested for carbohydrate sources to maximize the biomass accumulation in optical density units. The chromatographic analysis demonstrated the qualitative and quantitative composition of metabolites, i.e., B vitamins, organic acids, and amino acids. The biocompatibility of the strains was determined by co-cultivation. B-194 and B-7951 were resistant to streptomycin. B-7951 exhibited intermediate resistance to azithromycin while B-7573 and B-7951 were resistant to gentamicin, and B-3242 and B-7573 demonstrated a lack of susceptibility to streptomycin. B-11264 and B-7573 showed high antagonistic activity (≥23 mm) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa; B-7573 was effective against Bacillus cereus; B-11264, B-3242, and B-7951 resisted Enterococcus faecalis; B-11264, B-3242 and B-7573 showed good resistance to Klebsiella pneumoniae. The strains accumulated biomass better in the presence of lactulose. The chromatographic analysis showed that B-3242 produced vitamin B1 (25.98 ± 0.33 mg/g); B-7573 generated vitamin B3 (5.60 ± 0.03 mg/g); B-7573 yielded citric acid (52.6 ± 0.7 mg/L); B-2585 produced citric (58.0 ± 0.8 mg/L) and succinic (326.5 ± 3.2 mg/L) acids; B-7951 generated oxalic (17.1 ± 0.2 mg/L) and tartaric (17.1 ± 0.2 mg/L) acids. B-11264 produced tryptophan (16.2 ± 0.2 mg/g), glutamic acid (15.1 ± 0.2 mg/g), glycine (19.1 ± 0.2 mg/g), and proline (21.8 ± 0.3 mg/g). The strains demonstrated biocompatibility in co-cultivation. The strains involved in this research represent promising candidates for integration into probiotic nutraceuticals and functional food formulations.