Trends of Applied Microbiology for a Sustainable Economy discusses the role of modern tools and next-generation technologies in applied microbial research, including recent trends and innovation in global biofertilizers. Agriculture has seen dramatic changes since the time of its inception. Starting with the domestication of wild plants to small-scale traditional farming and then large-scale, chemical-intensive agriculture. It is at a crossroads once again, putting a huge amount of pressure on available natural resources like soil, water and biodiversity which is bound to increase with the ever-growing human population. This book helps readers understand the challenges associated with these demographic changes.

Phyto-pathogens are one of the dominating components which badly affect crop production. In light of the global food demand, sustainable agricultural plans utilizing agrochemicals became necessary. The role of beneficial microbes in the defense priming of host plants has been well documented. This book details new aspects of microbial-assisted plant protection and their role in agricultural production, economy, and environmental sustainability.

Heavy-metal contamination is one of the world's major environmental problems, posing significant risks to agro-ecosystems. Conventional technologies employed for heavy-metal remediation have often been expensive and disruptive.

This book provides comprehensive, state-of-the-art coverage of the natural, sustainable alternatives that use a wide range of biological materials in the removal/detoxification of heavy metals, consequently leading to the improvement of crops in these soils. Novel, environmentally friendly and inexpensive solutions are presented based on a sound understanding of metal contamination and the roles of plants and microbes in the management of these toxic soils.

Written by worldwide experts, the book provides not only the necessary scientific background but also addresses the challenging questions that require special attention in order to better understand metal toxicity in soils and its management through bioremediation.

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Heavy-metal contamination is one of the world's major environmental problems, posing significant risks to agro-ecosystems. However, conventional technologies for metal-contaminated soil remediation have often been expensive and disruptive. This book provides comprehensive, state-of-the-art coverage of the natural, sustainable alternatives that use a wide range of biological materials in the removal/detoxification of heavy metals, consequently leading to the improvement of crops in these soils. Novel, environmentally friendly and inexpensive solutions are presented based on a sound understanding of metal contamination and the roles of plants and microbes in the management of these toxic soils. Written by more than forty worldwide experts drawing on their wealth of experience in this field, the book provides not only the necessary scientific background but also addresses the challenging questions that require special attention in order to better understand metal toxicity in soils and its management through bioremediation. This book will be of interest to a wide range of students/researchers/practitioners specializing in the areas of environmental microbiology, soil pollution, sustainable development, crop science, soil biology, and related disciplines. It will be especially useful to anyone engaged in identifying metal-contamination problems and trying to solve them through the application of natural and inexpensive biological materials.

Plants and the soil they grow in, are confronted with severe biotic and abiotic stresses viz. nutrient starvation, salt stress, drought, flooding, xenobiotic contamination, in order to sustain in an ecosystem. They also shape the microbial composition in their vicinity by modulating their secretions. This book discusses the pressing demand for novel and potential microorganisms to support an environment-friendly and cost-effective way of stress management in the plants. The book summarizes the processes and mechanisms involved in microbe-assisted plant and soil stress management. It discusses the challenges and opportunities in the application of microbial interactions in plant health. It describes in detail the nutrient dynamics of different soil systems. It includes important topics like agriculturally important genes and enzymes, rhizosphere modeling & engineering, genetically engineered bio-inoculants etc. It also talks about the application of next-generation technologies, omics and nano-based technologies. In the recent years, more than 50% of agricultural production relies on chemical fertilizers, leading to serious health issues and environmental concerns. This book provides natural solutions to these environmental concerns. This book is useful for researchers and students in the field of microbiology, agriculture, soil biology and plant sciences.

Extremophiles have unique physiological properties, thus considered to be ideal candidates for industrial development. This book present concepts on cold-adapted microorganisms, centered on four different aspects - (i) diversity of cold adapted microbes (ii) their ecology, physiology and metabolism (iii) omics research in the field and (iv) their potential applications. This volume collates the recent developments and innovations with respect to these microorganisms. This book is meant for researchers, biochemists, industries, and government agencies interested in cold active microbes and their products. Also, would be of interest to NGOs and progressive farmers which are working for higher altitude ecosystems throughout the globe.