Indiscriminate use of agrochemicals to ramp up production capabilities has
caused a considerable decline in soil health status. The growing awareness of their ill
effects on the environment and human health has called for a reversion to old organic
agricultural practices blended with modern-day science and technology. Soil
microorganisms with an identified ability to support plant growth are now being
deployed in the form of biofertilizers and microbial biocontrol agents. Other than
augmenting nutrition supply, these bio-inoculums can synthesize phytohormones and
can also enhance the micronutrient and organic content of the soil. They can further
induce resistance in plants against phytopathogens and compete against them by
secreting secondary metabolites to keep the pathogenic population in check. Soil
microorganisms, due to their omnipresence and survivability on varied substrates and
in different environmental conditions, also find their use in other applications such as
in the mining and energy industries. Unlike conventional metallurgical practices that
deplete high-grade mineral ore reserves and cause wide-scale destruction of habitats,
bioleaching provides a safe and cheap prospect for the recovery of metals. Other than
the extraction of precious metals from low-grade ores, they also find their use in metal
recovery from e-waste and can even remove heavy metals from soil. Moreover, the
rapidly developing mining and the agrochemical industry count upon fossil fuels to
meet their energy needs. In the final section of this chapter, we discuss a yet fascinating
aspect of how non-conventional sources of energy are produced by the action of soil
microorganisms to minimize strains on fossil fuel reserves. These biofuels, produced
by the transformation of organic biomass, have an edge over fossil fuels as they emit
low levels of particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, and carbon monoxide.
Keywords: Bioleaching, Biocontrol, Biopesticide, Bioethanol, Biogas, Biofertilizer, Nitrogen.
