Endophytic Biofertilizer Approach for Sustainable Rice Production: A Systematic Review of Mechanisms, Climate Resilience, And Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Pathways

Climate change, soil degradation, and dependence on synthetic fertilizers increasingly threaten the productivity and sustainability of lowland rice farming in tropical Asia. Microbial endophytic biofertilizers, comprising beneficial bacteria and fungi that colonize internal plant tissues, offer a promising biological intervention to address these compounding challenges. This study employs a Systematic Literature Review using PRISMA methodology, complemented by bibliometric analysis via VOSviewer, to assess the multifunctional roles of microbial endophytic biofertilizers in enhancing soil and plant microbiome health, nutrient-use efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance, and potential greenhouse gas mitigation in rice-based agroecosystems. A total of 20 peer-reviewed studies meeting strict inclusion criteria related to rice-associated endophytic biofertilizers and climate-related outcomes published between 2015 and May2026 were synthesized from Scopus and ScienceDirect databases. Bibliometric analysis identified four dominant research clusters: plant growth promotion and physiology, abiotic stress and climate resilience, microbiome and soil ecology, and microbial taxonomy and ecological diversity. The findings demonstrate that endophytic inoculation confers measurable benefits across major climate-related stressors, with yield improvements under saline conditions reaching 203.96%, cold stress survival rising from 22.67% to 66.67%, and nitrogen and phosphorus losses reduced by 24.59% and 17.46% per pot, respectively. Consortium-based formulations consistently outperformed single-strain inoculants, and endophytes function as microbiome engineers, reshaping rhizosphere and endosphere assembly. Multiple mechanistic pathways linking endophyte inoculation to reduced CH₄ and N₂O emissions were identified, though direct field-scale flux quantification remains absent and represents the most critical research gap. Future research should prioritize region-specific consortium development, omics-based field validation, and policy frameworks supporting endophyte-based biofertilizers within national low-emission rice farming strategies.