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Plant Science Today (PST)

Review Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp2 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Microbe mediated drought stress mitigation: A review

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.11478
Submitted
26 August 2025
Published
18-05-2026

Abstract

Drought is one of the most critical abiotic stresses limiting crop growth, productivity and yield by adversely affecting essential physiological and biochemical processes, including seed germination, photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, osmotic regulation and cellular homeostasis. The increasing frequency and severity of water-deficit conditions due to climate change necessitates the development of sustainable strategies to enhance plant drought tolerance. Beneficial microorganisms have emerged as key contributors to improving plant resilience under drought stress by facilitating water and nutrient acquisition, reinforcing antioxidant defense systems and regulating stress-responsive pathways. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, endophytic bacteria and fungi, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), play a vital role in mitigating drought through multiple mechanisms such as osmolyte accumulation, activation of antioxidant enzymes, modulation of phytohormone levels, degradation of stress-induced ethylene via 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase (ACCD), exopolysaccharide production, emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and alteration of root system architecture. Application of microbial inoculants has consistently demonstrated improvements in plant growth, water-use efficiency and yield stability under water-limited conditions. Integrating beneficial microbes into crop management practices offers a sustainable, eco-friendly and cost-effective strategy for climate-resilient agriculture, reducing dependency on chemical inputs while ensuring productivity and food security under increasingly arid and unpredictable environmental conditions.

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