Global Centre for Environmental Remediation (GCER), Faculty of Science, University of Newcastle , Callaghan , Australia.
Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of Environment (CRC CARE), University of Newcastle , Callaghan , Australia.
Crit Rev Biotechnol. 2019 Dec;39(8):981-998. doi: 10.1080/07388551.2019.1654972. Epub 2019 Aug 27.
The soil microbiota plays a major role in maintaining the nutrient balance, carbon sink, and soil health. Numerous studies reported on the function of microbiota such as plant growth-promoting bacteria and fungi in soil. Although microalgae and cyanobacteria are ubiquitous in soil, very less attention has been paid on the potential of these microorganisms. The indiscriminate use of various chemicals to enhance agricultural productivity led to serious consequences like structure instability, accumulation of toxic contaminants, etc., leading to an ecological imbalance between soil, plant, and microbiota. However, the significant role of microalgae and cyanobacteria in crop productivity and other potential options has been so far undermined. The intent of the present critical review is to highlight the significance of this unique group of microorganisms in terms of maintaining soil fertility and soil health. Beneficial soil ecological applications of these two groups in enhancing plant growth, establishing interrelationships among other microbes, and detoxifying chemical agents such as insecticides, herbicides, etc. through mutualistic cooperation by synthesizing enzymes and phytohormones are presented. Since recombinant technology involving genomic integration favors the development of useful traits in microalgae and cyanobacteria for their potential application in improvement of soil fertility and health, the merits and demerits of various such advanced methodologies associated in harnessing the biotechnological potential of these photosynthetic microorganisms for sustainable agriculture were also discussed.
土壤微生物群落对于维持养分平衡、碳汇和土壤健康起着重要作用。大量研究报告了微生物群落（如植物促生菌和真菌）在土壤中的功能。尽管微藻和蓝藻在土壤中普遍存在，但人们对这些微生物的潜力关注甚少。为了提高农业生产力，人们不加区分地使用各种化学物质，导致土壤、植物和微生物群落之间的生态平衡受到严重破坏，如结构不稳定、有毒污染物积累等。然而，微藻和蓝藻在作物生产力等方面的重要作用迄今为止一直被忽视。本综述的目的是强调这组独特微生物在维持土壤肥力和土壤健康方面的重要性。介绍了这两组微生物在促进植物生长、建立与其他微生物的相互关系以及通过合成酶和植物激素进行互利合作来解毒杀虫剂、除草剂等化学物质方面的有益土壤生态应用。由于涉及基因组整合的重组技术有利于微藻和蓝藻中有用特性的开发，以便将其潜在应用于改善土壤肥力和健康，因此还讨论了各种利用这些光合微生物的生物技术潜力来促进可持续农业的先进方法的优缺点。
