Harnessing synergistic potential of plant growth promoting bacteria to mitigate climate-induced stress in plants

Climate change has emerged as the most pressing global challenge, driving extreme weather events and multifactorial stress combinations (MFSCs) that threaten ecological balance and agricultural sustainability. Plants possess intrinsic defense mechanisms, yet the increasing intensity and frequency of climate-induced stresses often exceed their adaptive capacity. Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) offer a sustainable solution, as they produce bioactive metabolites that enhance plant resilience to both biotic and abiotic stresses. Importantly, microbial consortia, synergistic communities of PGPB, demonstrate greater effectiveness than single strains, owing to their collective metabolic potential and adaptability across diverse soils and climates. Evidence from microbes isolated from extreme habitats, such as Antarctic plants, and formulations involving Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Trichoderma, and other genera, highlights their capacity to mitigate cold, drought, heat, salinity, and osmotic stresses while promoting plant growth and productivity. These consortia function through mechanisms including nutrient transport, antioxidant activity, systemic resistance, and metabolite accumulation. Thus, deeper molecular-level investigations into PGPB consortia are crucial for developing targeted bioformulations that safeguard agriculture against the impacts of climate change. This review highlights the potential of microbial consortia as sustainable agents for mitigating stress and promoting plant growth under changing global conditions.