Biocontrol Agents for Improved Agriculture, a volume in the Plant and Soil Microbiome series, presents both an advanced and current description of the important role of plant and soil microbiome in plant disease management. Including the latest biotechnological interventions for harnessing plant and soil microbiome and their potential in controlling plant pathogen/ disease, as well as the commercialization of biocontrol products and exploration of microbial derived bioactive compounds, this book provides an important reference on the challenges of biocontrol products. Sections explore the bacterial and fungal species successfully applied as plant and soil inoculant for the effective management of plant diseases. As these microbial biocontrol agents not only suppress the plant disease, but also enhance the growth or agricultural production in sustainable ways, the book focuses on the molecular aspect of plant- pathogen interactions and their biocontrol strategies via the use of plant and soil microbiome. This book is an important reference for those seeking sustainable, safe options for protecting against microbial agricultural loss and environmental damage.

Microbial Biomolecules: Emerging Approach in Agriculture, Pharmaceuticals and Environment Management explores and compiles new aspects of microbial-based biomolecules such as microbial enzymes, microbial metabolites, microbial surfactants, exopolysaccharides, and bioactive compounds and their potential applications in the field of health-related issues, sustainable agriculture and environment contamination management. Written for researchers, scientists, and graduate and PhD students in the areas of Microbiology, Biotechnology, Environmental Science and Pharmacology, this book covers the urgent need to explore eco-friendly and sustainable approaches to healthcare, agriculture and environmental contamination management.

The microbial ecosystem provides an indigenous system for improving plant growth, health and stress resilience. Plant microbiota, including isolated microbial communities, have been studied to further understand the functional capacities, ecological structure and dynamics of the plant-microbe interaction. Due to climatic changes, there is an urgent need to bring microbial innovations into practice. Mitigation of Plant Abiotic Stress by Microorganisms: Applicability and Future Directions is a comprehensive review of the different strategies available to improve the plant microbiome. Chapters include key topics such as: harnessing endophytic microbial diversity, microbial genes for improving abiotic stress tolerance, and microbial bioformulations. Putting these strategies into practice can have varying success in the field, so it is crucial that scientists are equipped with the knowledge of which microorganisms are needed, as well as the use and suitability of delivery approaches and formulations. This title will be an essential read for researchers and students interested in plant microbial technologies and plant bio stimulants, plant pathology, biocontrol, agronomy, and environmental mediation.

Environmental change is affecting the world's agricultural productivity. This is coupled with an increase in population: according to the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs, the global population is estimated to reach 9.7 billion by 2050. Therefore, the current situation requires that we develop climate-smart technologies to improve crop productivity to sustain the ever-rising global population. Current-day farmers are introducing a considerable amount of agrochemicals to enhance crop productivity. Indiscriminate agrochemical application has altered not only the soil's physic-chemical and biological properties but also affected human health through food chain contamination. Cyanobacteria, under these changing environmental conditions, may help to resolve the problem significantly without changing the natural soil properties. In spite of their well-known stress tolerance potential, most of the cyanobacterial stress management and signaling pathways are yet to be fully characterized. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore cyanobacterial metabolism under stress as well as their regulatory pathways to exploit them for sustainable agriculture. In recent decades, the application of cyanobacteria has attracted scientists because of uniqueness, better adaptability, and synthetic products. Diverse cyanobacterial communities with the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, together with their photosynthetic properties, have demonstrated their application under field conditions. Several cyanobacterial species have thus been exploited to enhance soil fertility, mitigate biotic and abiotic stress, and contamination management. Cyanobacterial Lifestyle and its Applications in Biotechnology has been designed to discuss different aspects of cyanobacterial physiology with the aim of helping to provide a better understanding of advanced cyanobacterial molecular biology and their metabolism to uncover the potential of cyanobacteria in the tailoring of stress smart crops for sustainable agriculture. Chapters include valuable information about the role of cyanobacteria in the evolution of life, cyanobacterial photosynthesis, stress-tolerant cyanobacterium, biological nitrogen fixation, circadian rhythms, genetics and molecular biology of abiotic stress responses.

Microbial Management of Plant Stresses: Current Trends, Application and Challenges explores plant microbiota including isolated microbial communities that have been used to study the functional capacities, ecological structure and dynamics of the plant-microbe interaction with focus on agricultural crops. Presenting multiple examples and evidence of the potential genetic flexibility of microbial systems to counteract the climate induced stresses associated with their host as a part of indigenous system, this book presents strategies and approaches for improvement of microbiome. As climate changes have altered the global carbon cycling and ecological dynamics, the regular and periodic occurrences of severe salinity, drought, and heat stresses across the different regimes of the agro-ecological zones have put additional constraints on agricultural ecosystem to produce efficient foods and other derived products for rapidly growing world population through low cost and sustainable technology. Furthermore chemical amendments, agricultural inputs and other innovative technologies although may have fast results with fruitful effects for enhancing crop productivity but also have other ecological drawbacks and environmental issues and offer limited use opportunities. Microbial formulations and/or microbial consortia deploying two or multiple partners have been frequently used for mitigation of various stresses, however, field success is often variable and improvement Smart, knowledge-driven selection of microorganisms is needed as well as the use of suitable delivery approaches and formulations. Microbial Management of Plant Stresses: Current Trends, Application and Challenges presents the functional potential of plant microbiota to address current challenges in crop production addressing this urgent need to bring microbial innovations into practice.

Fungi Bio-prospects in Sustainable Agriculture, Environment and Nanotechnology, Volume Two: Extremophilic Fungi and Myco-mediated Environmental Management explores varied aspects of fungal biology and their relevance in microbiology and agriculture, thus allowing for better insights on basic and advanced biotechnological application in human welfare and sustainable agriculture. Chapters throw light on different sectors of fungi, including fungi in extreme circumstances, bioremediation, complex and toxic effluents, and mycoremediation. The book was designed to explore the possibility of huge fungal diversity for present and future generation in different sectors of human life. Volume Two focuses on extremophilic fungi and myco-mediated environmental management.

Microbial Inoculants: Recent Progress and Applications fulfills the need to explore and learn about an efficient delivery mechanism, selection of microbial strain as inoculants, and related technological advances for the efficient and productive use of microbial inoculants. Moreover, factors like methods of formulation, interaction between host plant and microbe, impact of inoculation on the metabolomics of plants, the effect of microbial inoculants on soil dynamics, proteomics approach of plant-microbe interaction, as well as the registration and regulation process of bio inoculants for commercial production are described by leading academicians and researchers from different parts of the world in this comprehensive book. In the recent past, beneficial microorganisms have been sustainably used in agriculture as a safe, economic and effective alternative to chemical fertilizers or pesticides. These beneficial microbes, including bacteria, actinomycetes, and yeast were efficiently applied in soil, seeds, fruits, or plants as inoculants, to achieve the optimum agricultural yield. An efficient delivery method or enhanced shelf life of microbial inoculants in the soil or seed is still a matter of concern.

Advanced Functional Materials and Methods for Photodegradation of Toxic Pollutants addresses the potential role of visible active photocatalytic methods for the removal of various emerging and persistent organic pollutants (POPs.) Describing the classification, sources and potential risks of emerging organics in water bodies and the environment, the book covers the different synthesis methods of visible active structured photocatalysts and structure related properties to their applications in photocatalytic processes for the removal of antibiotics, pharma and heavy metal pollutants. This book provides an invaluable reference to academics, researchers and technicians in chemical engineering, chemistry and environmental science. In addition, the mechanistic insights associated with the interaction of advanced functional materials and water pollutants along with the possible reaction pathway occurring during the visible light induced photocatalytic processes together with toxicity are discussed in detail along with the reutilization of catalysts, supporting the inherent reaction conditions performed with natural conditions.

Valorization of Wastes for Sustainable Development: Waste to Wealth highlights the various valorization of organic and non-organic waste to offer a way forward to a sustainable world. Categorizing the various types of waste valorization for renewable fuel production and other valorizations utilizing organic and non-organic waste, this book offers the reader a comprehensive view of various waste valorizations together with their potential applications. Split into four sections, the book's chapters cover the general scenarios and challenges of current waste management and the valorization of waste specifically for renewable fuels as the alternative energy source to depleting fossil fuels. Other chapters cover waste valorizations categorized into organic and non-organic waste for various applications and the future prospect of waste valorizations with possible plans and strategies for effective global waste management.

This edited book is a compilation of scholarly articles on the latest developments in the field of additive manufacturing, discussing nature-inspired and artificial intelligence-aided additive manufactured processes for different materials including biomanufacturing, and their applications, as well as various methods to enhance the characteristics of the materials produced, the efficiency of the manufacturing process itself, as well as optimal ways to develop a product in minimum time. The book explores the advancements in additive manufacturing from prefabrication stage to final product, with real-time defect detection, control, and process efficiency improvement covered. This book will be a great resource for engineers, researchers, and academics involved in this revolutionary and unique field of manufacturing.

Relationship Between Microbes and Environment for Sustainable Ecosystem Services, Volume Two: Microbial Mitigation of Waste for Sustainable Ecosystem Services promotes advances in sustainable solutions, value-added products, and fundamental research in microbes and the environment. Topics include advanced and recent discoveries in the use of microbes for sustainable development. Volume Two describes the successful application of microbes and their derivatives for waste management of potentially toxic and relatively novel compounds. This proposed book will be helpful to environmental scientists, experts and policymakers working in the field of microbe- based mitigation of environmental wastes. The book provides reference information ranging from the description of various microbial applications for the sustainability in different aspects of food, energy, environment industry and social development.

Microbiome Under Changing Climate: Implications and Solutions presents the latest biotechnological interventions for the judicious use of microbes to ensure optimal agricultural yield. Summarizing aspects of vulnerability, adaptation and amelioration of climate impact, this book provides an important resource for understanding microbes, plants and soil in pursuit of sustainable agriculture and improved food security. It emphasizes the interaction between climate and soil microbes and their potential role in promoting advanced sustainable agricultural solutions, focusing on current research designed to use beneficial microbes such as plant growth promoting microorganisms, fungi, endophytic microbes, and more. Changes in climatic conditions influence all factors of the agricultural ecosystem, including adversely impacting yield both in terms of quantity and nutritional quality. In order to develop resilience against climatic changes, it is increasingly important to understand the effect on the native micro-flora, including the distribution of methanogens and methanotrophs, nutrient content and microbial biomass, among others.

Stress Tolerance in Horticultural Crops: Challenges and Mitigation Strategies explores concepts, strategies and recent advancements in the area of abiotic stress tolerance in horticultural crops, highlighting the latest advances in molecular breeding, genome sequencing and functional genomics approaches. Further sections present specific insights on different aspects of abiotic stress tolerance from classical breeding, hybrid breeding, speed breeding, epigenetics, gene/quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, transgenics, physiological and biochemical approaches to OMICS approaches, including functional genomics, proteomics and genomics assisted breeding. Due to constantly changing environmental conditions, abiotic stress such as high temperature, salinity and drought are being understood as an imminent threat to horticultural crops, including their detrimental effects on plant growth, development, reproduction, and ultimately, on yield. This book offers a comprehensive resource on new developments that is ideal for anyone working in the field of abiotic stress management in horticultural crops, including researchers, students and educators.

Sustainable Environmental Clean-up: Green Remediation includes some natural, clean, and eco-sustainable technologies that have undergone the process of gradual development in past few decades. These technologies include a range of innovative natural and viable materials and offer a clean solution of environmental pollution. It includes case studies of phytoremediation, bioremediation (microbial removal of pollutant), constructed wetlands, natural media filtration for the sustainable environmental cleanup. Sustainable Environmental Clean-up: Green Remediation includes coverage of: Recent trends in eco-sustainable green remediation, Role of constructed wetlands in green remediation, Factor responsible for biodegradation of organic pollutants, Remediation through natural media (Sand, gravel, stope-chips), Microbes and their role in green remediation.

Microbiome Stimulants for Crops: Mechanisms and Applications provides the latest developments in the real-world development and application of these crop management alternatives in a cost-effective, yield protective way. Sections address questions of research, development and application, with insights into recent legislative efforts in Europe and the United States. The book includes valuable information regarding mechanisms and the practical information needed to support the growing microbial inoculant and biostimulant industry, thus helping focus scientific research in new directions.

The Handbook of Flexible and Smart Sheet Forming Techniques presents a collection of research on state-of-art techniques developed specifically for flexible and smart sheet forming, with a focus on using analytical strategies and computational, simulation, and AI approaches to develop innovative sheet forming techniques. Bringing together various engineering perspectives, the book emphasizes how these manufacturing techniques intersect with Industry 4.0 technologies for applications in the mechanical, automobile, industrial, aerospace, and medical industries. The first section of the book introduces the concepts, classifications, variants, process cycles, and materials for flexible and smart sheet forming techniques and compares them with other conventional sheet forming processes. Subsequent sections delve deeper into topics such as: hardware and software required for these techniques; parameters, responses, and optimization strategies; the mechanics of flexible and smart sheet forming; simulation approaches; applications; and future innovations and directions. Each chapter will feature research outcomes, illustrations, case studies, and examples useful to anyone who needs to better understand and utilize these new manufacturing technologies.

Policy Issues in Genetically Modified Crops: A Global Perspective contains both theoretical and empirical evidence of a broad range of aspects of GM crop policies throughout the world. Emphasizing world agriculture production and ethics of GM crops, the book balances insights into the various discussions around the use of GM crops including soil health, effects on animals, environmental sustainability impact, and ethical issues. The book presents aspects of GM crop policies and prevailing controversies throughout the world, in 5 sections containing 23 chapters. Beginning with the discussion of the policies related to GM crops, the book dives deep into issues related to food insecurity, agricultural sustainability, food safety, and environmental risks. Section 5 also captures the recent advances in agricultural biotechnology encompassing research trends, the nano-biotech approach to plant genetic engineering, and other transformation techniques in crop development. The contributors of the book represent different backgrounds, providing a holistic overview of diverse approaches and perspectives. Policy Issues in Genetically Modified Crops: A Global Perspective is a valuable resource for researchers in agricultural policy and economics, agricultural biotechnology, soil science, genetic engineering, ethics, environmental management, sustainable development, and NGOs.

Microbe Mediated Remediation of Environmental Contaminants presents recent scientific progress in applying microbes for environmental management. The book explores the current existing practical applications and provides information to help readers develop new practices and applications. Edited by recognized leaders in the field, this penetrating assessment of our progress to date in deploying microorganisms to the advantage of environmental management and biotechnology will be widely welcomed by those working in soil contamination management, agriculture, environment management, soil microbiology, and waste management. The polluting effects on the world around us of soil erosion, the unwanted migration of sediments, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and the improper treatment of human and animal wastes have resulted in serious environmental and social problems around the world, problems which require us to look for solutions elsewhere than established physical and chemical technologies. Often the answer lies in hybrid applications in which microbial methods are combined with physical and chemical ones. When we remember that these highly effective microorganisms, cultured for a variety of applications, are but a tiny fraction of those to be found in the world around us, we realize the vastness of the untapped and beneficial potential of microorganisms.

Microbial Endophytes: Prospects for Sustainable Agriculture discusses the practical and theoretical aspects regarding the use of endophytic microorganisms in agriculture, providing insights on the biotechnological applications associated with long-term crop production. Chapters deal with the various aspects of endophytic microorganisms, including isolation, enumeration, characterization procedures, diversity analysis, and their role as biofertilizer, biocontrol agent and microbial inoculants. Framed to discuss the present and future potential of microbial endophytes in biotic and abiotic stress management, bioremediation, bioactive compounds production, and in nanotechnology, this book provides a single-volume resource that will be valuable to academics and researchers interested in microbiology, agricultural sciences and biotechnology.

Role of Plant Growth Promoting Microorganisms in Sustainable Agriculture and Nanotechnology explores PGPMs (actinomycetes, bacteria, fungi and cyanobacteria) and their multidimensional roles in agriculture, including their increasing applications in sustainable agriculture. In addition to their traditional understanding and applications in agriculture, PGPMs are increasingly known as a source of nano-particles production that are gaining significant interest in their ability to provide more economically, environmentally friendly and safe technologies to crop growers. The book considers new concepts and current developments in plant growth, thus promoting microorganisms research and evaluating its implications for sustainable productivity. Users will find this to be an invaluable resource for researchers in applied microbial biotechnology, soil science, nano-technology of microbial strains, and industry personnel in these areas.

Power Plant Instrumentation and Control Handbook, Second Edition, provides a contemporary resource on the practical monitoring of power plant operation, with a focus on efficiency, reliability, accuracy, cost and safety. It includes comprehensive listings of operating values and ranges of parameters for temperature, pressure, flow and levels of both conventional thermal power plant and combined/cogen plants, supercritical plants and once-through boilers. It is updated to include tables, charts and figures from advanced plants in operation or pilot stage. Practicing engineers, freshers, advanced students and researchers will benefit from discussions on advanced instrumentation with specific reference to thermal power generation and operations. New topics in this updated edition include plant safety lifecycles and safety integrity levels, advanced ultra-supercritical plants with advanced firing systems and associated auxiliaries, integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) and integrated gasification fuel cells (IGFC), advanced control systems, and safety lifecycle and safety integrated systems.

Climate Change and Agricultural Ecosystems explains the causative factors of climate change related to agriculture, soil and plants, and discusses the relevant resulting mitigation process. Agricultural ecosystems include factors from the surrounding areas where agriculture experiences direct or indirect interaction with the plants, animals, and microbes present. Changes in climatic conditions influence all the factors of agricultural ecosystems, which can potentially adversely affect their productivity. This book summarizes the different aspects of vulnerability, adaptation, and amelioration of climate change in respect to plants, crops, soil, and microbes for the sustainability of the agricultural sector and, ultimately, food security for the future. It also focuses on the utilization of information technology for the sustainability of the agricultural sector along with the capacity and adaptability of agricultural societies under climate change. Climate Change and Agricultural Ecosystems incorporates both theoretical and practical aspects, and serves as base line information for future research. This book is a valuable resource for those working in environmental sciences, soil sciences, agricultural microbiology, plant pathology, and agronomy.

PGPR Amelioration in Sustainable Agriculture: Food Security and Environmental Management explores the growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) that are indigenous to soil and plant rhizosphere. These microorganisms have significant potential as important tools for sustainable agriculture. PGPR enhance the growth of root systems and often control certain plant pathogens. As PGPR amelioration is a fascinating subject, is multidisciplinary in nature, and concerns scientists involved in plant heath and plant protection, this book is an ideal resource that emphasizes the current trends of, and probable future of, PGPR developments. Chapters incorporate both theoretical and practical aspects and may serve as baseline information for future research. This book will be useful to students, teachers and researchers, both in universities and research institutes, especially working in areas of agricultural microbiology, plant pathology and agronomy.

Recent Advances in Aquaculture Microbial Technology emphasizes various topics on microbiology related technology for aquaculture development and discusses different types of microbiological applications, thus serving as an all-inclusive reference which consolidates microbial technologies adopted in the field. The book covers the history and development of microbial technology in aquaculture as well as aquaculture microbiology, diversity and the role of microbes in aquaculture systems. In addition, it presents the beneficial microbial communities in aquaculture and varying methods employed to study bacterial association in fish, microbes and fish diseases. This resource will help improve research experiments and accomplishments in the area of aqua-culturally relevant microbial technology, making it useful for researchers and scientists in the field.