Microbial biofilms are the colonies of microorganisms on living or biotic or abiotic surfaces enclosed in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances produced by the microbial cells themselves. Microbes form biofilms to overcome stresses such as nutritional depletion, antibiotics, and oxygen depletion. Biofilms are a fascinating topic of study owing to their significant applications in the environment, industry, and health. Latest developments in molecular and biochemical techniques allow scientists to understand the structure, function, and development of microbial biofilms. Although biofilms are known to cause adverse effects in clinical and industrial fields, many biofilms have shown beneficial characteristics for industries such as food and agriculture. The formation of biofilms involves five main steps. 1) attachment to the surface, 2) colonization of the microorganisms, 3) development of the bacterial colonies and production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), 4) maturation, which is the formation of a three-dimensional stable community, and 5) active dispersal, where microorganisms detach from the surface and return to their planktonic state. Research shows that certain strains of Enterococcus spp. (E. casseliflavus, E. faecalis, E. faecium), Bacillus spp. (B. subtilis, B. thuringiensis, B. brevis, B. licheniformis, Bacillus polymyxa, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens), Pseudomonas spp. (P. fluorescens, P. putida and P. chlororaphis), Lactobacillus spp. (L. casei, L. paracasei, L. acidophilus, L. plantarum, L. reuteri) and Acetobacter aceti etc. have led to the formation of biofilm that contains beneficial characteristics.
The present research studies are done to study and improve the applications of biofilms in agriculture. This has become an important topic because of the immense potential of biofilms in crop development and protection. Biofilms play a huge role in the colonization of surfaces of roots, shoots, and soil of certain plants, and they allow proliferation in their niche while improving the soil fertility. Even though there are many research articles published on general microbial biofilms, there is very little published data on the biofilm formations of microbes that have agricultural importance and their associations with the ecosystem. Biofilms could be used as biofertilizers, in bioremediation and for nutrient mobilization when applied at high cell densities.
The biofilm’s biochemical, antimicrobial, and biotechnological characteristics make it a crucial candidate in research in agriculture. In situ biofilm generation or fiddling with naturally occurring biofilms are both intriguing technologies for the agriculture sector because they may accomplish a variety of functions with just one inoculation. These technologies can be used to improve soil and reduce damage to the environment through agricultural waste. The establishment of the applied inoculation in the soil and root inoculation depends significantly on the formation of beneficial biofilms. Multispecies biofilm formation is also an important topic as they are capable of producing bioactive compounds or new types of polysaccharides of a different composition when compared with biofilms formed by single species. This mechanism could be used for agricultural and industrial purposes. Biofilms are also able to improve soil quality and its physical properties because of their composition of polysaccharides. More studies should be conducted in the future to fully comprehend and close knowledge gaps about the promising elements associated with biofilms in the field of agriculture.

Yin, W., Wang, Y., Liu, L. and He, J., 2019. Biofilms: The Microbial “Protective Clothing” in Extreme Environments. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20(14), p.3423.
In text reference; (Yin et al.,2019)

References
Ghiasian, M., 2020. Microbial biofilms: Beneficial applications for sustainable agriculture. New and Future Developments in Microbial Biotechnology and Bioengineering, pp.145-155.
Velmourougane, K., Prasanna, R. and Saxena, A., 2017. Agriculturally important microbial biofilms: Present status and future prospects. Journal of Basic Microbiology, 57(7), pp.548-573.
Yin, W., Wang, Y., Liu, L. and He, J., 2019. Biofilms: The Microbial “Protective Clothing” in Extreme Environments. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20(14), p.3423.
Solanki, M., Solanki, A., Kumari, B., Kashyap, B. and Singh, R., 2020. Plant and soil-associated biofilm-forming bacteria: Their role in green agriculture. New and Future Developments in Microbial Biotechnology and Bioengineering: Microbial Biofilms, pp.151-164.

Jpg image courtesy;
Micropia.nl. 2022. Biofilm. [online] Available at: [Accessed 10 September 2022].