Phytosphere Microbiology and Antimicrobial Efficacy of

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.), one of the oldest known medicinal plants belonging to the family Fabacecae is commonly used as traditional food, nutraceuticals and medicine. These multi-functional activities of fenugreek have been attributed to diverse chemical constituents of its stem, leaf and seeds and include galactomannans, diosgenin, tigogenin, neotigogenin, triterpenoids, trigonelline, choline, isoleucine, flavonoids, and various phenolic compounds. Recent research has indicated that conventional culture-dependent approaches have been made to study the microbiota associated with the aerial and underground parts of T. foenum-graecum L. Emphasis, however, has been given on the diversity of different groups microorganisms associated with the root system and include rhizobial resources of different origin groups of fenugreek, root nodule tissue associated non-rhizobial endophytic bacteria and rhizobacteria of different physio-biochemical categories. This associated microbiota contribute significantly in increasing growth and productivity of fenugreek through fixation of atmospheric nitrogen, production of growth hormones, siderophores, and solubilisation of phosphate. The dependency and beneficiary effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in stress tolerance