Abstract

Penicillium genera are one of the well-known fungi present in many environments since saline soils to artic environments which makes them a microorganism of great interest for different investigations. These microorganisms have been widely studied for food and pharmaceutical applications; However, in recent years it has been seen that these species could have an importance for agricultural applications. These applications include phosphate solubilizing capacity and endophytic properties, which making crops resistant to diseases and extreme environmental conditions; as well as promoting a better crop development. Also, Penicillium species could degrade different xenobiotic compounds like pesticides, phenol, pyrene, crude oil, between other; but a big amount of these researches were made in liquid medium, for that reason the soil applications are a very broad field of research for future investigations. All these characteristics makes the Penicillium genera an interesting topic for future investigations in agricultural and environmental applications.

Keywords: Penicillium; Agricultural application; Phosphate solubilization; Endophytic; Xenobiotic degradation