Bioprotection of Soybean Plants from Drought Stress by Application of Bacterial and Fungal Endophytes

Abstract

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] is one of the major oilseed crops in the world which contains 18–20% oil and 35–40% of good-quality protein (Fatima et al. 2006). Soybean is being used in human and animal nutrition and in the production of biodiesel, disinfectants, lubricants, soap, and cosmetics, among other uses (Sediyama et al. 2009). In the recent agriculture scenario, climate change and food security are the two prominent challenges faced by scientists to cater the needs of burgeoning Indian population. The top five soybean-producing countries are the USA, Brazil, Argentina, China, and India; in Southeast Asia, soybean productivity highly relies on rainfall. In India, the erratic monsoon pattern, incidence of disease and pest, and long dry spell (drought) because of climate change have given rise to uncertainty in the production of soybean in the past few years. Moisture stress decreases the significant yield of soybean every year (Joshi and Bhatia 2003). According to Grover et al. (2011), nearly two-thirds area from parts of arid and semiarid ecosystem in India are affected by drought or soil moisture stresses. Moisture stress is among the most destructive abiotic stresses that increased in intensity over the past decades affecting the world’s food security. It affects different growth stages of soybean, for example, the reproductive stages were affected more severely as compared to vegetative growth (Sionet and Kramer 1977). Under drought conditions, planting soybeans hinders germination, leading to low plant population and reduction in yield significantly.