Quorum sensing in rhizosphere engineering

Rhizosphere is the busiest part where a series of interactions occur between plants and microbes that include both beneficial and harmful interactions. Beneficial rhizobacteria improve plant growth by mobilizing nutrients, producing growth regulators, or inhibiting phytopathogens. For performing such benefits, collective working strategies are required, which are fulfilled by exploiting the complex intracellular communication systems called quorum sensing (QS). Extensive research works suggested strong correlation between QS systems and the plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits of rhizobacteria. Additionally, QS system is also associated with the virulent properties of soil-borne pathogens. Based on accumulated knowledge, bacterial QS system operating in the rhizosphere is regarded as a suitable target for improving crop plant growth and development. In this chapter, we have discussed about the involvement of QS systems with different PGP traits of rhizobacteria and regarding the further strategies, which will be taken by targeting such systems for improving plant growth.