Soil inoculation with cyanobacteria: reviewing its’ potential for agriculture sustainability in drylands

In the last decades, there has been a huge expansion of intensive agriculture crops to attend the enormous demand of food needs with increasing population. Intensive agriculture is highly dependent on chemicals, which has caused numerous environmental problems such as contamination of aquifers, soils and air, with serious consequences on human health. A challenge in the next decades will be the development of economically viable methods to enhance productivity, at the same time that conservation of natural resources, protection of environment and production of healthy agricultural products are ensured. Sustainable agriculture requires management of a healthy living soil. Use of microorganisms such as cyanobacteria appears as a real alternative to achieve more sustainable managements. In this review, we briefly discuss the roles of cyanobacteria in the improvement of soil stability, soil nutrient and moisture status, organic matter content, microbial activities, and the growth and productivity of crops. Application of cyanobacteria is especially promising in croplands from dryland regions where high tolerance of these organisms to harsh environmental conditions converts them into viable alternatives or complements to more widespread conservation practices based on vegetation covers.