“…Autotrophic bacteria, e.g., sulfur/iron (III) and iron (Fe)-oxidizing bacteria, have been investigated for metal solubilization and thereby used for the recovery of metals (Zn, Ni, and Cu) from industrial waste and ores (Schippers et al, 2014;Costerousse et al, 2017). For the past decade, heterotrophic bacteria that solubilize Zn and promote plant growth have been studied for improved plant productivity and significant Zn accumulation in the edible parts of plants after their inoculation (Costerousse et al, 2017;Gontia-Mishra et al, 2017;Kamran et al, 2017;Mumtaz et al, 2017;Idayu Othman et al, 2017;Saravanan et al, 2007;Ramesh et al, 2014;Vaid et al, 2014;Upadhayay et al, 2022b;Vidyashree et al, 2018).…”