Plant growth promotion and abiotic stress mitigation in rice using endophytic fungi: Advances made in the last decade

With more than 110,000 varieties of rice, it is a sustainable source of energy for almost half of the human population. Rice production has seen exponential growth with time; as of now, it is the third highest-produced agricultural commodity. However, the recent climate changes have gravely affected rice cultivation, leaving future production skeptical. In such atypical circumstances, the utilization of a unique symbiotic association of endophytic fungi and plants represents a sustainable alternative. Endophytic fungi are of crucial importance to the nutrient cycle of the plant, and it can be anticipated that no synthetic molecule can provide the plant with such a wide range of benefits. Over the last decade, numerous studies have reported the ability of endophytic fungi to colonize rice plants successfully. These endophytes exhibit various properties, such as phytohormone production, mineral solubilization, and siderophore production. In addition, they also compensate for environ-mental constraints. This review highlights the work using endophytic fungi to improve rice cultivation over the last decade. The plant growth-promoting attributes of endophytic fungi, their role, and their effect under major abiotic stresses on different varieties of rice plants are discussed.