Bacteria and fungi can contribute to nutrients bioavailability and aggregate formation in degraded soils, Rashid 2016

The paper argues for the use of bacterial and fungal inoculants in combination with organic amendments and cover crops to regenerate degraded soils. In order to produce enough food for a growing global population on ubiquitously degraded soils, synthetic fertilizers will be in increasingly high demand. However, these fertilizers require copious amounts of non-renewable energy to manufacture, and become pollutants when used. Here, the authors explain how bacteria and fungi make nutrients available to plants and how facilitate soil aggregation.