Major part of terrestrial microbes associated with plants directly or indirectly is responsible for plant health and growth. Microorganisms present in soil have an intimate interaction with plants where they not only promote the growth of a plant, enhance stress tolerance, provide disease resistance, aid nutrient availability and uptake and promote biodiversity but also suppress plant pathogen. Microbes have been playing a major role in forest ecosystem, but the field of its commercial utilization is in its infancy in India. This paper reviews the role of microbes in forestry ecosystems and presents a case study of Agarwood.
Back in those days when science and technology did not hold us with ease, luxury and beautification, forests ladled out survival for mankind. Wood was used for fuel, as well as thatching and making huts, wild fruits and leaves would be consumed as food, and tree barks would be used as clothing. The forests were also hunting grounds and a retreat from enemy attacks. One third of the total land area is occupied by forest which anchors a major part of the population around the world (Kristen et al., 2010).
The most obvious features of any forest ecosystem are its trees, the dominant biotic feature. They dominate the ecosystem, both in terms of visibility and in terms of biomass. Other biotic factors include shrubs, flowering plants, ferns, mosses, lichens, mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, worms, and most importantly microbes.
Forest ecosystem has 3 major categories to differentiate these biotic factors i.e., producers, consumers and decomposers. Plants being the only organisms on earth to produce their own food are known as the producers in the ecosystem. Once they produce their food, it is turned into various nutrients that are able to sustain life.Consumers are mainly animals that either feed on other animals or on plants in order to grow and reproduce. Decomposers are organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, earthworms, cockroaches and crabs, which facilitate general break down of waste substances.
(Source: This is an abstract taken from the 'My forest' Journal; March - June 2017. The authors are Asma S. Banu, Rekha R. Warrier, Geeta Joshi and A.N. Arunkumar. You can read the entire article at aranya.gov.in)
