Excessive application of chemical fertilizers lead to several environmental hazards, causing damages to human, animal and ecosystem health. Their chemical reminants in both aqueous and non-aqueous (soil ecosystems) environments could potentially interrupt natural ecosystem balance which consequently results in several critical health issues and numerous side-effects to agricultural productivity in agro-ecosystems. Such environmental, agricultural and health crisis call us for serious attention toward the production and application of environment friendly bio-fertilizers. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria lodging around or in the plant roots have several functional activities such as increasing the nutrient availability to plants (biofertilizers), promoting plant growth via phytohormones as plant growth regulators (phytostimulators), degrading organic pollutants like xenobiotic compounds (rhizoremediators), controlling plant diseases and protecting them from phytopathogens (biopesticides), improving soil structure and fertility (bioremidiators). As PGPR technology is currently experiencing a dramatic increase, it has become a vital element of the interactions between PGPR and crops and is considered a key input for sustainable agriculture. This focused event pays tribute to the growing significance of biofertilizers, biofungicides, biostimulants, and bioinoculants. For this reason APTBAE-2021 is being organized by Barkatullah University at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. The outputs would form a strong foundation for addressing the issues of global and regional food security
