Abstract

The declining nutrient use efficiency (NUE) in modern agriculture has necessitated the exploration of sustainable alternatives to chemical fertilizers. Indigenous soil microbes represent a promising biological solution for enhancing crop nutrient uptake and utilization. This study investigated the potential of native rhizosphere microorganisms, including plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), and nitrogen-fixing bacteria, in improving NUE across different crop systems. Field trials were conducted over two growing seasons (2022-2024) using wheat (Triticum aestivum), maize (Zea mays), and soybean (Glycine max) as test crops. Indigenous microbial consortia were isolated from healthy crop rhizospheres and characterized using 16S rRNA sequencing and functional assays. Results demonstrated significant improvements in NUE, with increases of 23-45% in nitrogen use efficiency, 18-35% in phosphorus use efficiency, and 15-28% in potassium use efficiency compared to conventional fertilization alone^1,2^. Microbial inoculation reduced fertilizer requirements by 20-30% while maintaining comparable yields. The most effective microbial strains included Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Azotobacter chroococcum, and Glomus intraradices. These findings suggest that indigenous soil microbes can serve as effective biofertilizers, contributing to sustainable agriculture and reduced environmental impact.