Forward-looking on new microbial consortia: Combination of rot fungi and rhizobacteria on plant growth-promoting abilities

With rising global population, new solutions are needed to provide food security in a future ruled by climate changes and ecological instability. The growing areas of degraded soil, due to drought or salinity, that are no longer viable to agriculture, represent a challenge that threatens this goal. Nevertheless, microorganisms like rot fungi and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, alone or combined must be explored to improve soils overall health and productivity. They represent potential allies in the promotion of climate-resilient soils, since based on the features displayed by both individually, a potential synergism may be achieved. However, there is a lack of research on the combination of both groups and its use as an agricultural enhancer. This short review points to the development of green and sustainable techniques to be used in climate change-affected soils as well as the strengths of both groups of organisms regarding the mobilization of essential nutrients for plant/crop produc-tivity, and their benefits to soil properties, under the scope of soil policies.