Bacillus Strains as Increased Soil Fertility and Biomass Yield Tactics in a Reclaimed Tidal Flat, Saemangeum, Korea.

The demand for bioenergy resources continues to grow due to increased emerging economic value and emission trading systems. On top of that, energy crop (EC) resources are key to addressing the interconnected global challenges of sustainable development with the adoption of Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and the post-Paris Agreement in Korea. Current research on interactions between EC and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) emphasizes the energy potential regarding greatly enhanced ecological and economic effects that may increase in the future. However, less attention has been focused on soil fertility management after crop planting in reclaimed tidal land using bio-fertilizers such as rhizobacteria. This review paper documented and evaluated the potential of ECs by discussing the evidence for interactions between PGPR and crops where representative species have grown on Korean reclaimed land during the recent decade. The existing literature revealed several important generalizations that emerge from this synthesis of mechanisms and interaction. First, EC-PGPR interactions affect the increase of biomass yield on reclaimed land without a decrease in values of soil and crop quality. Second, PGPR Bacillus subtilis JS increased the T-N (total nitrogen), P (phosphorus), and chlorophyll contents owing to mineral nutrient solubilization and chlorophyll a/b binding protein, and B. licheniformis MH48 affected the increase of the T-N and P contents in soil because of N fixation. In this respect, this scoping review highlighted that short-rotation plantation management through PGPR in reclaimed tidal land may be more sustainable than chemical fertilizer treatment in the context of land-use change.