Microbial Siderophores for Sustainable Agriculture: Stress Tolerance, Biocontrol, Mechanism, and Omics Integration
9 affiliations
- 1Department of Microbiology, Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Dehradun 248002, Uttarakhand, India
- 2School of Allied and Health Sciences, CGC University, Mohali 140307, Punjab, India
- 3Department of Biotechnology, Vinayak Vidyapeeth College, Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut 250110, Uttar Pradesh, India
- 4Division of Veterinary Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Sher-E-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Srinagar 190006, Jammu and Kashmir, India
- 5Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, GLA University, Mathura 281406, Uttar Pradesh, India
- 6Department of Biotechnology, Noida Institute of Engineering and Technology, 19, Knowledge Park-II, Institutional Area, Greater Noida 201306, Uttar Pradesh, India
- 7Faculty of Science, Gokul Global University, Sidhpur 384151, Gujarat, India
- 8Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
- 9Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA), University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
Abstract
Microbial siderophores play an important role in improving plant tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Beyond iron acquisition, they support plant health by regulating oxidative stress, chelating toxic metals, and mediating beneficial plant–microbe interactions. This review highlights the role of siderophore-producing microbes in mitigating salinity, drought, alkaline stress, and metal toxicity, as well as in the improvement of nutrient solubilization and uptake. It also delineates environmental and physiological factors affecting siderophore production. The review additionally explores how the microbial interactions within soil consortia moderate siderophore biosynthesis and bio-control activity. Advances in multi-omics and genome editing approaches are discussed for identifying important genes and pathways associated with siderophore-mediated stress tolerance. The mechanisms behind siderophore-mediated stress tolerance are discussed, mainly their involvement in pathogen suppression through iron competition and activation of induced systemic resistance. Furthermore, it addresses the commercialization challenges and integration of siderophore applications into precision agriculture, aligning their agricultural and environmental benefits with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
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BibTeX
@article{akhtar2026microbial,
title = {{Microbial Siderophores for Sustainable Agriculture: Stress Tolerance, Biocontrol, Mechanism, and Omics Integration}},
author = {Nahid Akhtar and Yogesh Ahlawat and Anamika Singh and Atif Khurshid Wani and Siva Prasad Panda and Arvind Kumar and Leena J. Patel and Piergiorgio Stevanato and Silvia Celletti},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27219721},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9721},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Microbial Siderophores for Sustainable Agriculture: Stress Tolerance, Biocontrol, Mechanism, and Omics Integration
AU - Nahid Akhtar
AU - Yogesh Ahlawat
AU - Anamika Singh
AU - Atif Khurshid Wani
AU - Siva Prasad Panda
AU - Arvind Kumar
AU - Leena J. Patel
AU - Piergiorgio Stevanato
AU - Silvia Celletti
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27219721
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9721
AB - Microbial siderophores play an important role in improving plant tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Beyond iron acquisition, they support plant health by regulating oxidative stress, chelating toxic metals, and mediating beneficial plant–microbe interactions. This review highlights the role of siderophore-producing microbes in mitigating salinity, drought, alkaline stress, and metal toxicity, as well as in the improvement of nutrient solubilization and uptake. It also delineates environmental and physiological factors affecting siderophore production. The review additionally explores how the microbial interactions within soil consortia moderate siderophore biosynthesis and bio-control activity. Advances in multi-omics and genome editing approaches are discussed for identifying important genes and pathways associated with siderophore-mediated stress tolerance. The mechanisms behind siderophore-mediated stress tolerance are discussed, mainly their involvement in pathogen suppression through iron competition and activation of induced systemic resistance. Furthermore, it addresses the commercialization challenges and integration of siderophore applications into precision agriculture, aligning their agricultural and environmental benefits with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -