LAUSR

Summer crops grown in Australia, including rice, cotton, and sugar cane, require high volumes of water, which is applied using irrigation systems. Yields from these crops are influenced by abiotic stressors. Fluctuations in the abiotic stressors, including soil pH and trace element availability, can increase levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants leading to increased oxidative stress and subsequent reduced crop growth and yield. One potential way of reducing plant ROS production and levels in these systems is through inoculation of these crops with beneficial microbes. The ability of beneficial microbes to enhance plant growth is well characterized, and it is also clear that many of them produce antioxidant enzymes. Presented in this review are the potential modes of action for microbes to reduce abiotic stress in cropped systems.