The potential use of plant growth promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) for Tea Plant Cultivation in Assam: A Review

Plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPR) have been found to be highly beneficial for plants as they help defend against fungal diseases commonly found in soil. They play an important role in plant growth, health and productivity. They increase seedling tolerance to drought, high temperatures, toxic heavy metals, high or low pH and even extreme soil acidity. The use of PGPR has proven to be an environmentally best way to increase the crop yield by facilitating plant growth through either a direct or indirect mechanism. Tea is grown all over the Assam and cultivated in major areas where chemical fertilizers are used. So, the use of PGPR can minimise the application of chemical fertilizer for the production of organic tea. This review highlights the future research works which are needed in many areas of Assam by the use of beneficial strains of PGPR to reduce the use of pesticide for commercial production of organic tea for healthy consumption by the people at large