The present manual is of immense importance for the researchers, teachers and scholars in the field of biological sciences.It will also prove of great importance to the industrialists for developing an effective mycorrhizal cultures on commercial scale.The mycorrhizal fungi are playing a multipurpose role in the crop improvement programmes by improving the plant health through the acquisition of many micro and macro nutrients.The use efficiency of different nutrient elements is also enhanced by AM fungi. Mycorrhizae provide protection to the plant roots against many soil borne diseases.Regarding the plant water relations, these organisms play a pivotal role in controlling the release of water by the plants during drought conditions.Soil physical properties like granulation and aeration are also improved by these fungi. The author is highly thankful to the scientific staff of Department of Agricultural Microbiology, TNAU, Coimbatore for their generous help in providing the material for the present wo

Health has been one of the important areas of human research focus. Nature has bestowed the planet earth with immense wealth of plants that contain certain constituents which can promote human health. Kala Zeera (Bunium persicum) is one of the members of Apiaceae family that contains various essential oils and is endemic to Himalayan areas. it is largely found in wild and has been very shy to domestication. consequently very little information is available on this valuable crop and whatever is available is scattered as isolated reports. the present work is an effort to document all the available information on this crop based on the research carried out at SKUAST-K India and elsewhere to act as a basic information guide about various aspects of this crop. There has been a renewed interest in medicinal plants to capture their value in local and indigenous systems of medicine as well as commercial utilisation for derivation of essential oils. The work will indeed be of help for the students and scientists working in various areas of Kala zeera improvement and conservation.