# Evaluating Soil Bacteria for the Development of New Biopreparations with Agricultural Applications
## 1 Introduction  
Biopreparations are becoming increasingly important, due to the growing demand for food and the simultaneous generation of increasing amounts of agrifood waste. The strategic policy of the European Union (the European Green Deal including the \"farm to fork\" strategy) is to guarantee food security while achieving climate neutrality. In accordance with these regulations, it is planned to radically reduce the use of pesticides and artificial fertilizers and to significantly increase the area of organic farms in the coming years [1, 2, 3]. Soil cultivation methods are also being shifted from arable practices to no-tillfarming, with the aim of preserving soil biodiversity. Therefore, both scientists and farmers are looking for effective and environmentally friendly products to increase agricultural productivity, in particular new biopreparations for decomposing plant waste biomass. Biopreparations are increasingly used in agriculture and horticulture products, due to their ecological safety, wide range of possible applications, and compliance with legal guidelines [4; 5]. Biopreparations are products derived from living organisms or their metabolites [6]. They include fungal, bacterial, bacterial/fungal-enzymatic, bacterio-fungal, and enzymatic preparations [7]. They include microorganisms such as _Bacillus thuringiensis_, _Verticillium lecanii_, _Metarhizium anisopliae_, and _Trichoderma viride_, as well as plant extracts, including neem, citronella oils, and water extract of garlic [4; 8; 9; 10]. Biopreparations can be used as biopesticides, biofertilizers, biostimulants, and biodegradation stimulating agents [4; 6; 7; 8; 10]. Biopesticides are natural substances used to control pests and diseases in plants. They can contain beneficial microorganisms that help control plant pathogens. Examples include fungi like _Trichoderma_ and bacteria such as _Bacillus_ sp., which can inhibit the growth of harmful fungi like _Botrytis cinerea_, plant extracts that have antimicrobial properties, and can help in controlling plant diseases or substances like chitosan, which enhance plant resistance to pathogens and improve overall plant health [6]. Biofertilizers include _Azospirillum Azotobacter_, _Rhizobium_, and _Pseudomonas fluorescens_[11; 12; 13], as well as various plant extracts (fruits, leaves, and microalgal seaweeds) [14; 15]. They can improve soil quality and support plant growth through the synthesis of growth regulators, biocontrol of phytopathogens, and induction of resistance to plant stress conditions. They also improve the absorption of elements that are difficult to access. This is due to their ability to dissolve phosphorus, potassium, and zinc [16; 17]. Biofertilizers are one of the most promising solutions for maintaining or increasing current food production rates while at the same time ensuring environmental stability. Biostimulants have the ability to stimulate plant growth. The most popular biostimulants are humic substances, which are produced as a result of the chemical and biological decomposition of organic matter. Biostimulants include _Trichoderma_ sp., algae extract, and chitosan protein hydrolysates [18; 19; 20; 21]. Decomposition accelerators are designed to intensify the decomposition of organic matter contained in agricultural waste, such as crop residues (roots, stems, leaves, seed pods), which consist mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin [22; 23; 24; 25]. The decomposition of such type of waste involves a series of physical, chemical, and biological processes, during which nutrients are released and made available to plants [26; 25]. During microbial degradation, the enzymatic activity of the strain and the production of extracellular hydrolases are important factors [22; 23]. Bacteria including _Bacillus_ sp., _Paenibucillus_ sp., as well as fungi have been shown to be the main decomposers in soil ecosystems, with bacteria being responsible for the initial decomposition of organic matter and fungi playing a key role in later stages of decomposition [27].