Abstract

Plants have been known to interact with different biotic and abiotic agents existing in the environment which forms a beneficial mutualism. Among various agents, interaction of plants with microbes is one of the significant interactions which have global implication too. Microbes interact with belowground (rhizosphere), aboveground (phyllosphere) and internal (endophyte) parts of plants and these all interaction own different significant role in each other survival. Among all endophytic interaction are known to provide greater benefits to its host especially in stressed (biotic and abiotic) conditions. The endophytic microbes are known to interact with each of the single plant existing on the earth and they are present within the whole plant even seeds. Various microbial groups such as archaea, bacteria and fungi are recognized as endophytes. Microbial species belonging to phyla Euryarchaeota Acidobacteria, Acidobacteriota, Bacteroidota, Deinococcus–thermus, Bacillota, Pseudomonadota, Verrucomicrobia, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Mucoromycota were found as endophytic microbiota so far. Endophytic microbes protect plant by various mechanisms such as N2- fixation, siderophores production, phosphorus solubilization, phytohormones production (auxin, cytokinin and gibberellins), ammonia and hydrogen cyanide production.

Key words: Biodiversity, Bioinoculant, Biotechnological applications, Microbial endophytes, Sustainability