Modern and industrialized agriculture enhanced farm output during the last few decades, but it became possible at the cost of agricultural sustainability. Industrialized agriculture focussed only on the increase in crop productivity and the technologies involved were supply-driven, where enough synthetic chemicals were applied and natural resources were overexploited with the erosion of genetic diversity and biodiversity. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient required for plant growth and development. Even though nitrogen is available in large quantities in the atmosphere, it cannot be utilized by plants directly with the only exception of legumes which have the unique ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and the process is known as biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). Rhizobium, a group of gram-negative soil bacteria, helps in the formation of root nodules in legumes and takes part in the BNF. The BNF has great significance in agriculture as it acts as a fertility restorer in soil. Continuous cereal-cereal cropping system, which is predominant in a major part of the world, often results in a decline in soil fertility, while legumes add nitrogen and improve the availability of other nutrients too. In the present context of the declining trend of the yield of some important crops and cropping systems, it is the need of the hour for enriching soil health to achieve agricultural sustainability, where Rhizobium can play a magnificent role. Though the role of Rhizobium in biological nitrogen fixation is well documented, their behaviour and performance in different agricultural environments need to be studied further for a better understanding. In the article, an attempt has been made to give an insight into the behaviour, performance and mode of action of different Rhizobium species and strains under versatile conditions.

Centurion University of Technology and Management Paralakhemundi Odisha 761 211 India

Department of Agronomy College of Agriculture University of Agricultural Sciences Bangalore Karnataka 560065 India

Department of Agronomy Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University Pusa Samastipur Bihar 848125 India

Department of Botany and Plant Physiology Faculty of Agrobiology Food and Natural Resources Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Kamycka 129 165 00 Prague Czech Republic

Department of Plant Physiology Slovak University of Agriculture Tr A Hlinku 2 949 01 Nitra Slovakia

Division of Crop Sciences Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture Santoshnagar Hyderabad Telangana 500 059 India

Division of Soil Science Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute Dinajpur 5200 Bangladesh

Krishi Vigyan Kendra Madhopur West Champaran Bihar 845454 India

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