Probiotics – history, uses and future potential in sustainable agriculture

This research report is about probiotics, a natural means of promoting health, disease resistance and productivity in both plants and animals. The report draws on many information sources, from books, journals, trial information brochures and an interview with Dr Tim Jenkins, a prominent New Zealand microbiologist and formulator of some unique probiotic products. The report gives an outline of the history and development of probiotics, looks in depth at both ruminant and plant/soil models for the use of probiotics, and reviews some result averages. From there is a look at the use of antibiotics in agriculture, and some of the inherent issues and problems for the future. The report then looks to assess the role of probiotics in sustainable agriculture and looks at potential future directions for probiotic research and applications. In all the report gives an overview of the development, the how, when and why of use, some quantification of measured results, and an in-depth look at the potential for probiotics to used as a natural alternative to antibiotics.