Ajar Nath Yadav

This book encompasses current knowledge of soil microbiomes and their potential biotechnological application for plant growth, crop yield, and soil health under the natural as well as harsh environmental conditions for sustainable agriculture. The microbes are ubiquitous in nature. The soil is a natural hotspot of the soil microbiome. The soil microbiome plays a critical role in the maintenance of global nutrient balance and ecosystem functioning. The soil microbiomes are associated with plant ecosystems through the intense network of plant–microbe interactions. The microbes present in bulk soil move toward the rhizospheric region due to the release of different nutrients by plant systems. The rhizospheric microbes may survive or proliferate in rhizospheric zone depending on the extent of influences of the chemicals secreted into the soil by roots. The root exudates contain the principal nutrients factors (amino acids, glucose, fructose, and sucrose). The microbes present in rhizospheric region have capabilities to fix atmospheric nitrogen, produce different phytohormones, and solubilize phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. The plant systems take these nutrients for their growth and developments. These soil and plant associated microbes also play an important role in protection of plants from different plant pathogenic organisms by producing different secondary metabolites such as ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, siderophores, and hydrolytic enzymes. The soil microbiomes with plant growth-promoting (PGP) attributes have emerged as an important and promising tool for sustainable agriculture. The soil microbiomes promote the plant growth and enhance the crop yield and soil fertility via directly or indirectly different plant growth-promoting mechanism. The soil microbes help the plant for adaptation in extreme habitats by mitigating the abiotic stress of high/low temperatures, hypersalinity, drought, and acidic/alkaline soil. These PGP microbes are used as biofertilizers/bioinoculants to replace the harmful chemical fertilizers for sustainable agriculture and environments. The aim of the book “Soil Microbiomes for Sustainable Agriculture” is to provide the recent advances in mechanisms of plant growth promotion and applications of soil microbiomes for mitigation of different abiotic stresses in plants. The book is useful to scientists, researchers, and students related to microbiology, biotechnology, agriculture, molecular biology, environmental biology, and related subjects.

Functional Annotation

Soil Microbiomes for Sustainable Agriculture

Ahmed M. Abdel-Azeem

Neelam Yadav

Zeba Usmani

Fungi are an understudied, biotechnologically valuable group of organisms. Due to their immense range of habitats, and the consequent need to compete against a diverse array of other fungi, bacteria, and animals, fungi have developed numerous survival mechanisms. However, besides their major basic positive role in the cycling of minerals, organic matter and mobilizing insoluble nutrients, fungi have other beneficial impacts: they are considered good sources of food and active agents for a number of industrial processes involving fermentation mechanisms as in the bread, wine and beer industry. A number of fungi also produce biologically important metabolites such as enzymes, vitamins, antibiotics and several products of important pharmaceutical use; still others are involved in the production of single cell proteins. The economic value of these marked positive activities has been estimated as approximating to trillions of US dollars. The unique attributes of fungi thus herald great promise for their application in biotechnology and industry. Since ancient Egyptians mentioned in their medical prescriptions how they can use green molds in curing wounds as the obvious historical uses of penicillin, fungi can be grown with relative ease, making production at scale viable. The search for fungal biodiversity, and the construction of a living fungi collection, both have incredible economic potential in locating organisms with novel industrial uses that will lead to novel products. Fungi have provided the world with penicillin, lovastatin, and other globally significant medicines, and they remain an untapped resource with enormous industrial potential. Volume 1 of Industrially Important Fungi for Sustainable Development provides an overview to understanding fungal diversity from diverse habitats and their industrial application for future sustainability. It encompasses current advanced knowledge of fungal communities and their potential biotechnological applications in industry and allied sectors. The book will be useful to scientists, researchers, and students of microbiology, biotechnology, agriculture, molecular biology, and environmental biology.

Volume 1: Biodiversity and Ecological Perspectives

Industrially Important Fungi for Sustainable Development

Fungi range from being microscopic, single-celled yeasts to multicellular and heterotrophic in nature. Fungal communities have been found in vast ranges of environmental conditions. They can be associated with plants epiphytically, endophytically, or rhizospherically. Extreme environments represent unique ecosystems that harbor novel biodiversity of fungal communities. Interest in the exploration of fungal diversity has been spurred by the fact that fungi perform numerous functions integral in sustaining the biosphere, ranging from nutrient cycling to environmental detoxification, which involves processes like augmentation, supplementation, and recycling of plant nutrients - a particularly important process in sustainable agriculture. Fungal communities from natural and extreme habitats help promote plant growth, enhance crop yield, and enhance soil fertility via direct or indirect plant growth promoting (PGP) mechanisms of solubilization of phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, production of ammonia, hydrogen cyanides, phytohormones, Fe-chelating compounds, extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, and bioactive secondary metabolites. These PGP fungi could be used as biofertilizers, bioinoculants, and biocontrol agents in place of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in eco-friendly manners for sustainable agriculture and environments. Along with agricultural applications, medically important fungi play a significant role for human health. Fungal communities are useful for sustainable environments as they are used for bioremediation which is the use of microorganisms' metabolism to degrade waste contaminants (sewage, domestic, and industrial effluents) into non-toxic or less toxic materials by natural biological processes. Fungi could be used as mycoremediation for the future of environmental sustainability. Fungi and fungal products have the biochemical and ecological capability to degrade environmental organic chemicals and to decrease the risk associated with metals, semi-metals, and noble metals either by chemical modification or by manipulating chemical bioavailability. The two volumes of Recent Trends in Mycological Research aim to provide an understanding of fungal communities from diverse environmental habitats and their potential applications in agriculture, medical, environments and industry. The books are useful to scientists, researchers, and students involved in microbiology, biotechnology, agriculture, molecular biology, environmental biology and related subjects.

Volume 1: Agricultural and Medical Perspective

Recent Trends in Mycological Research

Minaxi Sharma

Fungi are an essential, fascinating and biotechnologically useful group of organisms with an incredible biotechnological potential for industrial exploitation. Knowledge of the world’s fungal diversity and its use is still incomplete and fragmented. There are many opportunities to accelerate the process of filling knowledge gaps in these areas. The worldwide interest of the current era is to increase the tendency to use natural substances instead of synthetic ones. The increasing urge in society for natural ingredients has compelled biotechnologists to explore novel bioresources which can be exploited in industrial sector. Fungi, due to their unique attributes and broad range of their biological activities hold great promises for their application in biotechnology and industry. Fungi are an efficient source of antioxidants, enzymes, pigments, and many other secondary metabolites. The large scale production of fungal pigments and their utility provides natural coloration without creating harmful effects on entering the environment, a safer alternative use to synthetic colorants. The fungal enzymes can be exploited in wide range of industries such as food, detergent, paper, and also for removal toxic waste. This book will serve as valuable source of information as well as will provide new directions to researchers to conduct novel research in field of mycology. Volume 2 of "Industrially Important Fungi for Sustainable Development" provides an overview to understanding bioprospecting of fungal biomolecules and their industrial application for future sustainability. It encompasses current advanced knowledge of fungal communities and their potential biotechnological applications in industry and allied sectors. The book will be useful to scientists, researchers, and students of microbiology, biotechnology, agriculture, molecular biology, and environmental biology.

Bioprospecting for biomolecules

Joginder Singh

Chhatarpal Singh

Microbial biotechnology is an emerging field with applications in a broad range of sectors involving food security, human nutrition, plant protection and overall basic research in the agricultural sciences. The environment has been sustaining the burden of mankind from time immemorial, and our indiscriminate use of its resources has led to the degradation of the climate, loss of soil fertility, and the need for sustainable strategies. The major focus in the coming decades will be on achieving a green and clean environment by utilizing soil and plant-associated beneficial microbial communities. Plant-microbe interactions include the association of microbes with plant systems: epiphytic, endophytic and rhizospheric. The microbes associated with plant ecosystems play an important role in plant growth, development, and soil health. Moreover, soil and plant microbiomes help to promote plant growth, either directly or indirectly by means of plant growth-promoting mechanisms, e.g. the release of plant growth regulators; solubilization of phosphorus, potassium and zinc; biological nitrogen fixation; or by producing siderophores, ammonia, HCN and other secondary metabolites. These beneficial microbial communities represent a novel and promising solution for agro-environmental sustainability by providing biofertilizers, bioprotectants, and biostimulants, in addition to mitigating various types of abiotic stress in plants. This book focuses on plant-microbe interactions; the biodiversity of soil and plant microbiomes; and their role in plant growth and soil health. Accordingly, it will be immensely useful to readers working in the biological sciences, especially microbiologists, biochemists and microbial biotechnologists.

Current Trends in Microbial Biotechnology for Sustainable Agriculture

Ali Asghar Rastegari

Rajeeva Gaur

This book focuses on the different kinds of biofuels and biofuel resources. Biofuels represent a major type of renewable energy. As part of a larger bio-economy, they are closely linked to agriculture, forestry and manufacturing. Biofuels have the potential to improve regional energy access, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and contribute to climate protection. Further, this alternative form of energy could revitalize the forestry and agricultural sector and promote the increased use of renewable resources as raw materials in a range of industrial processes. Efforts are continuously being made to develop economically competitive biofuels, and microbes play important roles in the production of biofuels from various bioresources. This book elaborates on recent advances in existing microbial technologies and on sustainable approaches to improving biofuel production processes. Additionally, it examines trends in, and the limitations of, existing processes and technologies. The book offers a comprehensive overview of microbial bioresources, microbial technologies, advances in bioconversion and biorefineries, as well as microbial and metabolic engineering for efficient biofuel production. Readers will also learn about the environmental impacts and the influence of climate change on the sustainability of biofuel production. This book is intended for researchers and students whose work involves biorefinery technologies, microbiology, biotechnology, agriculture, environmental biology and related fields.

Biofuels Production – Sustainability and Advances in Microbial Bioresources

This book encompasses the current knowledge of plant microbiomes and their potential biotechnological application for plant growth, crop yield and soil health for sustainable agriculture. The plant microbiomes (rhizospheric, endophytic and epiphytic) play an important role in plant growth, development, and soil health. Plant and rhizospheric soil are a valuable natural resource harbouring hotspots of microbes, and it plays critical roles in the maintenance of global nutrient balance and ecosystem function. The diverse group of microbes is key components of soil–plant systems, where they are engaged in an intense network of interactions in the rhizosphere/endophytic/phyllospheric. The rhizospheric microbial diversity present in rhizospheric zones has a sufficient amount of nutrients release by plant root systems in form of root exudates for growth, development and activities of microbes. The endophytic microbes are referred to those microorganisms, which colonize in the interior of the plant parts, viz root, stem or seeds without causing any harmful effect on host plant. Endophytic microbes enter in host plants mainly through wounds, naturally occurring as a result of plant growth, or through root hairs and at epidermal conjunctions. Endophytes may be transmitted either vertically (directly from parent to offspring) or horizontally (among individuals). The phyllosphere is a common niche for synergism between microbes and plant. The leaf surface has been termed as phyllosphere and zone of leaves inhabited by microorganisms as phyllosphere. The plant part, especially leaves, is exposed to dust and air currents resulting in the establishments of typical flora on their surface aided by the cuticles, waxes and appendages, which help in the anchorage of microorganisms. The phyllospheric microbes may survive or proliferate on leaves depending on extent of influences of material in leaf diffuseness or exudates. The leaf diffuseness contains the principal nutrients factors (amino acids, glucose, fructose and sucrose), and such specialized habitats may provide niche for nitrogen fixation and secretions of substances capable of promoting the growth of plants. The microbes associated with plant as rhizospheric, endophytic and epiphytic with plant growth promoting (PGP) attributes have emerged as an important and promising tool for sustainable agriculture. PGP microbes promote plant growth directly or indirectly, either by releasing plant growth regulators; solubilization of phosphorus, potassium and zinc; biological nitrogen fixation or by producing siderophore, ammonia, HCN and other secondary metabolites which are antagonistic against pathogenic microbes. The PGP microbes belong to different phylum of archaea (Euryarchaeota); bacteria (Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Deinococcus-Thermus, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria) and fungi (Ascomycota and Basidiomycota), which include different genera namely Achromobacter, Arthrobacter, Aspergillus, Azospirillum, Azotobacter, Bacillus, Beijerinckia, Burkholderia, Enterobacter, Erwinia, Flavobacterium, Gluconoacetobacter, Haloarcula, Herbaspirillum, Methylobacterium, Paenibacillus, Pantoea, Penicillium, Piriformospora, Planomonospora, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, Serratia and Streptomyces. These PGP microbes could be used as biofertilizers/bioinoculants at place of chemical fertilizers for sustainable agriculture. The aim of “Plant Microbiomes for Sustainable Agriculture” is to provide the current developments in the understanding of microbial diversity associated with plant systems in the form of rhizospheric, endophytic and epiphytic. The book is useful to scientist, research and students related to microbiology, biotechnology, agriculture, molecular biology, environmental biology and related subjects.

Plant Microbiomes for Sustainable Agriculture

Divjot Kour

Microbes are ubiquitous in nature, and plant-microbe interactions are a key strategy for colonizing diverse habitats. The plant microbiome (epiphytic, endophytic and rhizospheric) plays an important role in plant growth and development and soil health. Further, rhizospheric soil is a valuable natural resource, hosting hotspots of microbes, and is vital in the maintenance of global nutrient balance and ecosystem function. The term endophytic microbes refers to those microorganisms that colonize the interior the plants. The phyllosphere is a common niche for synergism between microbes and plants and includes the leaf surface. The diverse group of microbes are key components of soil-plant systems, and where they are engaged in an extensive network of interactions in the rhizosphere/endophytic/phyllospheric they have emerged as an important and promising tool for sustainable agriculture. Plant microbiomes help to directly or indirectly promote plant growth using plant growth promoting attributes, and could potentially be used as biofertilizers/bioinoculants in place of chemical fertilizers. This book allows readers to gain an understanding of microbial diversity associated with plant systems and their role in plant growth, and soil health. Offering an overview of the state of the art in plant microbiomes and their potential biotechnological applications in agriculture and allied sectors, it is a valuable resource for scientists, researchers and students in the field of microbiology, biotechnology, agriculture, molecular biology, environmental biology and related subjects.

Diversity and Biotechnological Applications

Advances in Plant Microbiome and Sustainable Agriculture

This book discusses various aspects of bioactive natural products employed in the agrochemical and agriculture sectors. It covers the use of plants, microorganisms, and microbial metabolites as eco-friendly, cost-effective, and sustainable alternatives to chemicals in the field of agriculture. Written by active researchers and academics, the book highlights state-of-art products in the field, as well as the gaps, challenges, and obstacles associated with the use of plants, microbes and their products. Given its scope, it is a valuable resource for the scientific community and professionals in enterprises wanting insights into the latest developments and advances in the context of biological products, including their applications, traditional uses, modern practices, and strategies to harness their full potential.

Natural Bioactive Products in Sustainable Agriculture

Shashank Mishra

Anil Kumar

Microbes are ubiquitous in nature. Among microbes, fungal communities play an important role in agriculture, the environment, and medicine. Vast fungal diversity has been associated with plant systems, namely epiphytic fungi, endophytic fungi, and rhizospheric fungi. These fungi associated with plant systems play an important role in plant growth, crop yield, and soil health. Rhizospheric fungi, present in rhizospheric zones, get their nutrients from root exudates released by plant root systems, which help with their growth, development, and microbe activity. Endophytic fungi typically enter plant hosts through naturally occurring wounds that are the result of plant growth, through root hairs, or at epidermal conjunctions. Phyllospheric fungi may survive or proliferate on leaves depending on material influences in leaf diffuseness or exudates. The diverse nature of these fungal communities is a key component of soil-plant systems, where they are engaged in a network of interactions endophytically, phyllospherically, as well as in the rhizosphere, and thus have emerged as a promising tool for sustainable agriculture. These fungal communities promote plant growth directly and indirectly by using plant growth promoting (PGP) attributes. These PGP fungi can be used as biofertilizers and biocontrol agents in place of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for a more eco-friendly method of promoting sustainable agriculture and environments. This first volume of a two-volume set covers the biodiversity of plant-associated fungal communities and their role in plant growth promotion, the mitigation of abiotic stress, and soil fertility for sustainable agriculture. This book should be useful to those working in the biological sciences, especially for microbiologists, microbial biotechnologists, biochemists, and researchers and scientists of fungal biotechnology.

Volume 1: Perspective for Diversity and Crop Productivity

Agriculturally Important Fungi for Sustainable Agriculture

New and Future Developments in Microbial Biotechnology and Bioengineering: Trends of Microbial Biotechnology for Sustainable Agriculture and Biomedicine Systems: Diversity and Functional Perspectives describes how specific techniques can be used to generalize the metabolism of bacteria that optimize biologic improvement strategies and bio-transport processes. Microbial biotechnology focuses on microbes of agricultural, environmental, industrial, and clinical significance. This volume discusses several methods based on molecular genetics, systems, and biology of synthetic, genomic, proteomic, and metagenomics. Recent developments in our understanding of the role of microbes in sustainable agriculture and biotechnology have created a highly potential research area. The soil and plant microbiomes have a significant role in plant growth promotion, crop yield, soil health and fertility for sustainable developments. The microbes provide nutrients and stimulate plant growth through different mechanisms, including solubilization of phosphorus, potassium, and zinc; biological nitrogen fixation; production of siderophore, ammonia, HCN and other secondary metabolites which are antagonistic against pathogenic microbes. This new book provides an indispensable reference source for engineers/bioengineers, biochemists, biotechnologists, microbiologists, agrochemists, and researchers who want to know about the unique properties of this microbe and explore its sustainable agriculture future applications. Introduces the principles of microbial biotechnology and its application in plant growth and soil health for sustainable agriculture Explores various plant microbiomes and their beneficial impact on plant growth for crop improvement Explains the mechanisms of plant-microbe interaction and plant growth promotion Includes current applications of microbial consortium for enhance production of crop in eco-friendly manners

Trends of Microbial Biotechnology for Sustainable Agriculture and Biomedicine Systems: Diversity and Functional Perspectives

New and Future Developments in Microbial Biotechnology and Bioengineering

Sangram Singh

Arti Gupta

White biotechnology is industrial biotechnology dealing with various biotech products through applications of microbes. The main application of white biotechnology is commercial production of various useful organic substances, such as acetic acid, citric acid, acetone, glycerine, etc., and antibiotics like penicillin, streptomycin, mitomycin, etc., and value added product through the use of microorganisms especially fungi and bacteria. The value-added products included bioactive compounds, secondary metabolites, pigments and industrially important enzymes for potential applications in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, medicine and allied sectors for human welfare. In the 21st century, techniques were developed to harness fungi to protect human health (through antibiotics, antimicrobial, immunosuppressive agents, value-added products etc.), which led to industrial scale production of enzymes, alkaloids, detergents, acids, biosurfactants. The first large-scale industrial applications of modern biotechnology have been made in the areas of food and animal feed production (agricultural/green biotechnology) and pharmaceuticals (medical/red biotechnology). In contrast, the production of bio-active compounds through fermentation or enzymatic conversion is known industrial or white biotechnology. The beneficial fungal strains may play important role in agriculture, industry and the medical sectors. The beneficial fungi play a significance role in plant growth promotion, and soil fertility using both, direct (solubilization of phosphorus, potassium and zinc; production of indole acetic acid, gibberellic acid, cytokinin and siderophores) and indirect (production of hydrolytic enzymes, siderophores, ammonia, hydrogen cyanides and antibiotics) mechanisms of plant growth promotion for sustainable agriculture. The fungal strains and their products (enzymes, bio-active compounds and secondary metabolites) are very useful for industry. The discovery of antibiotics is a milestone in the development of white biotechnology. Since then, white biotechnology has steadily developed and now plays a key role in several industrial sectors, providing both high valued nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical products. The fungal strains and bio-active compounds also play important role in the environmental cleaning. This volume covers the latest research developments related to value-added products in white biotechnology through fungi.

Ajar Nath Yadav

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