A soil biocontrol agent, biofertiliser and plant growth promoter in one

With the expected increase in world population in the coming decades, crop yield per hectare and a reduction in the use of chemicals in agriculture will both be of paramount importance.

Actinobacteria or ‘ray bacteria’ are Gram-positive bacteria that comprise a significant percentage of soil microbial populations, the soil food web and the root microbiome (the community of micro-organisms, such as fungi, bacteria and viruses that exists in a particular environment and colonises the root systems). They resemble fungi in their morphology, forming branching, thread-like filaments, asexual spores in chains and densely packed filaments or mycelia.

Actinobacteria usually grow in warm and damp soil. After a long period of dry weather, their activities slow down. When the soil is moistened, actinobacterial