Although many microbes have been demonstrated to stimulate
plant growth and yield in the laboratory, the results have been
poorly repeatable in field trials (Bhattacharjee et al., 2008;
Martinez-Viveros et al., 2010), creating a barrier to commercialization
and widespread use (Richardson et al., 2009). Further
progress in this area depends on a clear understanding of the factors
that influence the efficacy of microbial inoculants in the field,
including plant species, soil type, local microbial communities,
environmental conditions, inoculant carrier and other management
practices such as fertilization, cultivation, irrigation and pest
control. Together, plant species and soil type shape microbial
communities in the rhizosphere