SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY APPROACHES FOR SUSTAINABLE BIOFERTILIZER PRODUCTION IN DEGRADED SOILS

Abstract

Background: The loss of nutrients, erosion, Stalinization and over-fertilization of soils with chemicals has been a serious problem for agricultural production throughout the world. There is an urgent need for environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional fertilizers that often cause pollutants in the environment and long-term soil degradation. Innovative strategies from synthetic biology can be employed to develop advanced biofertilizers that can restore soil fertility and improve crop productivity in destroyed agricultural systems.

Objective: In this work, we discuss the potential of synthetic biology techniques for sustainable biofertilizer manufacture and their contribution to improving nutrients availability, microbial productivity, and soil health in decaying soils.

Methodology: We used recent studies in agricultural biotechnology for an evaluation of engineered molecular consortia, synthetic metabolic routes, CRISPR-mediated microbial engineering, nitrogen-fixing, systems and tools for rhizosphere optimization.

Findings: Engineered biofertilizer systems greatly enhanced the availability of nutrients in the soil, colonization by microbes, and developing plants performance under degrading soil conditions. Synthetic microbial consortia elevated the nitrogen fixation along with phosphorus solubilization productivity by ~35–55%, whereas engineered rhizosphere systems enhanced the crop biomass and restoration of soil organic matter. CRISPR-based microbial engineering improved stress tolerance as well as nutrient cycling optimization in nutrient-deficient soils.

Conclusion: Synthetic biology offers novel strategies for sustainable development of biofertilizer as well as restoration of degraded soils. Nevertheless, ecological stability, biosafety regulations, large-scale production as well as long-term environmental impact assessment are the major challenges for prospective agricultural standardization.