Plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) and rhizobacteria (PGPR) promotes plant growth by performing various activities, while probiotics (for life) has been defined as live micro-organisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host according to WHO. If we see the definition of probiotics one can simply use the term plant-probiotics in place of PGPB or PGPR, but these terms are well established among the researchers for last 2-3 decades. If some one wants to call PGPR or PGPB as plant-probiotics does not make any big difference as such. The question arise here is why one want to do this?? Just to make it catchy for the consumers (i.e. farmers), many bio-fertilizer companies are already doing this. Or to attract the researchers working with gut microbes toward the plant-microbe interactions study, as the former considered to be bit low ranked research in comparison to later. I personally feel that PGPB and PGPR is quit informative and simple terms to address the group of bacteria which improves plant growth, health and productivity.

Thank you, Praveen.

I agree with you that PGPB and PGPR are well known terms and informative enough. Earlier, it was plain biofertilizers, then bioinoculant arrived and now slowly plant probiotic.

Taking picture of self with auto click camera was very much there earlier...but all of a sudden a 'selfie' using cell phone is rage. Who knows, a change of word could attract more customers to biofertilizer, hopefully.

hey I have never heard this term for bacteria and I think it´s not right to use it

Hi Marieta,

Actually this term in relation to plant biology was new to me too until i chanced upon the Berlec's paper in Plant Science 193– 194 (2012) 96– 102 titled 'Novel techniques and findings in the study of plant microbiota: Search for plant

probiotics'. Going through this indicated that it was already used much earlier.

Thanks for your comment...