- Eternal University, Baru Sahib
- 9882545085
Ajar Nath Yadav
Eternal University, Biotechnology, Department Member
- Biology, Diversity, Psychrophiles, Ecology, Climate Change, Microbiology, and 60 moreBiotechnology, Industrial Biotechnology, Agrcultural Biotechnology, Agriculture, Archaea, Cold Adaptation, Drought tolerance, Salt Tolerant Pgpr Bacteria, PGPR, Rhizobacteria associated with wheat productivity, Extremophiles, Thermophiles, Phosphorus, Potassium fertilizers, ZINC FERTILIZATION IN FIELD CROPS, Cold Desert, Ecosystem of Himalayas, Himalayas, Plant growth promoting endophytic bacteria, Bioprospecting of Endophytes, Bioprospecting, Bioinformatics, Applied microbiology, Soil Microbiology, Agricultural Microbiology, Microorganisms, Molecular Biology, Environmental Microbiology (Biology), Bioengineering, Environmental microbiology, Cultural Diversity, NRC Biotechnology Research Institute, Plant Pathology. Plant Microbe Interaction, Responses of plant to abiotic stresses, Bacteria, PGPM.s. Actives From Microbes, Genetics and Plant Breeding, Organic Acids, Bacterial Diversity, Rhizobacteria, Plant Molecular Biology, India, Role of Microorganisms, Abiotic Stress, Biocontrol of plant Diseases, Systematics (Taxonomy), Microbial Enzymes, Microbial biotechnology, Agril. Microbiology, Molecular Microbiology, Industrial microbiology, Phosphate solubilization, Antioxidant Activity, Soil Science, Wastewater, DNA Purification, Lignocellulosic Biomass Conversion to Chemicals, Rice wheat Cropping System, Technology, and Public Healthedit
- Ajar Nath Yadav, Ph.D., ajarbiotech@gmail.com ; ajar@eternaluniversity.edu.in ; 9882545085edit
Research Interests:
Prokaryotic methylotrophic bacteria are able to consume a number of C1-carbon compounds such as methane, methylamine and methanol, whereas only methanol can be consumed by eukaryotic methylotrophic bacteria as source of carbon and... more
Prokaryotic methylotrophic bacteria are able to consume a number of C1-carbon compounds such as methane, methylamine and methanol, whereas only methanol can be consumed by eukaryotic methylotrophic bacteria as source of carbon and methylamine as a source of nitrogen. The intensive researches explain the beneficial relationship between plants and methylotrophic bacterial communities earlier. Different genera of methylotrophic yeasts such as Candida, Pichia, Torulopsis and Hansenula are able to metabolise C1 corbon compound like formaldehyde and methanol.and a number of genes are involved in the methanol and other substrate utilisation pathways such as AOX (alcohol oxidase), DAS (dihydroxyacetone synthase), FDH (format dehydrogenase) and DAK (dihydroxyacetone kinase). The phylogeny and identification of these methylotrophic yeast strains are done based on either conserved gene sequences or functional gene sequences. The current description involves the genetic diversity of different s...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Abstract The microbial secondary metabolites have great importance for humans and agriculture. They are widely used as active drug ingredients in medicine (e.g., many antibiotics, antitumor agents, and antivirals are derived from... more
Abstract The microbial secondary metabolites have great importance for humans and agriculture. They are widely used as active drug ingredients in medicine (e.g., many antibiotics, antitumor agents, and antivirals are derived from secondary metabolites, as are antipyretics like aspirin, hallucinogenics like LSD, and cholesterol-lowering drugs like lovastatin), as herbicides or phytotoxins in agriculture, and as food additives (color, flavors, and sweeteners), fragrances, and even as precursors for the synthesis of plastics. Biotechnology has opened up new possibilities for potential applications of beneficial microbiomes producing secondary metabolites in agriculture, industrial, pharmaceuticals, and allied sectors. The microbes from diverse habitats including plant microbiomes (epiphytic, endophytic rhizospheric) and extreme microbiomes (psychrophilic, thermophilic, acidophilic, alkaliphilic, xerophilic, and halophilic) produce the necessary secondary metabolites for diverse applications. The present book chapter provides complete, comprehensive, and broad subject-based reviews on existing microbial biodiversity with the production of potential secondary metabolites for different biotechnological applications. Here we have also discussed metabolic engineering for the production of secondary metabolites from different groups of microbes including archaea, bacteria, and eukarya and their applications in agriculture, medicine, and industry.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Abstract Plants reveal diverse associations with microbes and the importance of these associations for growth and health of the plants is the area of focus of this study because the research on the role of microbes associated with the... more
Abstract Plants reveal diverse associations with microbes and the importance of these associations for growth and health of the plants is the area of focus of this study because the research on the role of microbes associated with the seeds mainly the seed endophytes is very limited. A great diversity of endophytic microbes has been reported including the species of Acidovorax, Aspergillus, Aureimonas, Bacillus, Chaetomium, Curtobacterium, Enterobacter, Fusarium, Kocuria, Leucobacter, Microbacterium, Micrococcus, Novosphingobium, Penicillium, Pseudacidovorax, Pseudomonas, Rahnella, Sphingomonas, Staphylococcus, and Trichoderma. Seed microbiome is surely a rich pool of diverse species with high genetic complexity, possessing capability of rapid evolution, further allowing responsive selection of additional functionality depending on the environmental conditions in which there is emergence of the seedling and hence the selected microbe may be used to deliver traits of interest to the host plants. This chapter deals with the diversity and distribution of seed microbes, endophytic lifestyle, i.e., mechanisms of colonization, the relationship that seed microbiomes possess with the flower microbiomes, the interactions that occur between bacteria and fungi in the root zone, endosphere, genes involved in the endophytic behavior.
Research Interests:
Microbes are capable of colonizing the rhizosphere and phyllosphere as well as living inside the plant tissues as endophytes. The microbiomes associated with the crops have the ability to produce phytohormones (indoleacetic acid and... more
Microbes are capable of colonizing the rhizosphere and phyllosphere as well as living inside the plant tissues as endophytes. The microbiomes associated with the crops have the ability to produce phytohormones (indoleacetic acid and gibberellic acid); solubilize (phosphorus, potassium and zinc) and bind nutrients, besides eliciting plant defence reactions against pathogens; and also help in plant growth under harsh environments. The biodiversity of plant growth-promoting (PGP) microbes have been illustrated by different genera and species and their mechanisms of action for the following different phyla of domain Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya:Actinobacteria,Ascomycota,Bacteroidetes,Basidiomycota,Crenarchaeota,Euryarchaeota,Firmicutes andProteobacteria (α/β/γ/δ). This book chapter intends to present research results obtained so far concerning the application of beneficial microbes as PGP microbes and their potential biotechnological application to increase the plant growth and yields and soil health. The diverse range of activities as well as the number of microbes sorted out in different culture collections around the world, may provide an important resource to rationalize the use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture. There are many microbial species that act as PGP microbes, described in the literature as successful for improving plant growth and health. However, there is a gap between the mode of action/mechanism of the PGP microbes for plant growth and the role of the PGP microbes as biofertilizers. Hence, this book chapter bridges the gap mentioned and summarizes the mechanism of PGP microbes as biofertilizers for agricultural sustainability.
Research Interests: Biology and Biodiversity
Abstract Fungi are known to produce a wide range of secondary metabolites such as pigments, antibiotics, vitamins, amino acids, and organic compounds that have several useful biological activities such as antifungal, antiinflammatory,... more
Abstract Fungi are known to produce a wide range of secondary metabolites such as pigments, antibiotics, vitamins, amino acids, and organic compounds that have several useful biological activities such as antifungal, antiinflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer and also have wide range of biotechnological applications in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries as well as in agriculture. Antibiotics such as β-lactam, cholesterol-lowering drug, lovastatin, and penicillin are some of the important fungal metabolites that have diverse biotechnological applications in pharmaceutical industries and in the field of medicine. On the other hand, several of these fungal secondary metabolites also have potentially harmful biological activities such as mycotoxins and phytotoxins. There are various biosynthetic pathways followed by the fungi to produce secondary metabolites such as β-lactam, cyclic peptide, diterpenes, diketopiperazines, polyketides, sesquiterpenes, and a combination of these pathways. There are wide ranges of fungal communities producing potentially important secondary metabolites including Penicillium notatum, Cephalosporium acremonium, Penicillium griseofulvum, Streptomyces griseus, Monascus purpureus, Micromonospora purpurea, Tolypocladium inflatum, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus parasiticus, and Beauveria bassiana. The potential biological applications of secondary metabolites of fungi will be useful for sustainable development.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
With the expanding population, the environment is changing greatly, and agriculture is one of the most exposed sectors to these changes and faces a number of challenges like pollution, pathogenic attack, salinity, drought, high and low... more
With the expanding population, the environment is changing greatly, and agriculture is one of the most exposed sectors to these changes and faces a number of challenges like pollution, pathogenic attack, salinity, drought, high and low temperature, and so on. All these challenges ultimately affect productivity. To overcome such issues, eco-friendly approaches are very vital. The use of fungi as biofertilizers is one emerging area which is getting greater attention as it is proving its importance by enhancing plant growth and productivity by diverse plant growth-promoting traits including production of phytohormones, siderophores, and hydrolytic enzymes; making available different nutrients; and protecting plants against pathogens. Further, fungi are also becoming a center of focus for the industrial sector as fungal enzymes play a chief role in industries and their requirement is at the top position and in fact their influence will be felt more in coming years. Thus, keeping in view the importance of fungi especially for the agriculture as well as industrial sector, the following chapter has been designed which will take into consideration the plant growth-promoting traits of fungi, role of fungi in abiotic stress tolerance, value-added products from fungi, use of fungal enzymes in diverse industries, and fungi as a source of various secondary metabolites.
Research Interests:
Plants are constantly exposed to environmental challenges, namely the biotic and abiotic stresses which adversely affect plant growth and agriculture productivity worldwide. To adapt to ever changing climatic conditions, plants have... more
Plants are constantly exposed to environmental challenges, namely the biotic and abiotic stresses which adversely affect plant growth and agriculture productivity worldwide. To adapt to ever changing climatic conditions, plants have evolved complex molecular and physiological mechanisms to counteract such adversities. Several plant signaling pathways operate which include production of phytohormones, transcription factors, and reactive oxygen species, among others. Plant–microbe associations define a significant mutualistic interaction which enhances plant growth and development, increases nutritional uptake as well as confers abiotic stress tolerance to agricultural crops. Recent researches have extensively studied the production of phytohormones by fungal communities and genetic engineering of these phytohormones for enhancing abiotic stress tolerance in plants. The chapter provides a comprehensive analysis of fungal species producing phytohormones and their signaling mechanisms. Moreover, the chapter further discusses the major contributions of these plant–microbe associations in plant growth promotion and in conferring abiotic stress tolerance in plants. Highlighting the significance of genetic engineering of crops for improvement and production of better plant varieties as well as the associated challenges with crop production are discussed
Research Interests:
Prospecting the cold habitats has led to the isolation of a great diversity of psychrotrophic microbes belonging to different groups. The cold-adapted microbes have potential biotechnological applications in agriculture, medicine, and... more
Prospecting the cold habitats has led to the isolation of a great diversity of psychrotrophic microbes belonging to different groups. The cold-adapted microbes have potential biotechnological applications in agriculture, medicine, and industry as they can produce cold-adapted enzymes (amylase, cellulase, chitinase, laccase, lipase, pectinase, protease, xylanase, β-galactosidase, and β-glucosidase), antifreezing compounds, and antibiotics and possess diverse multifunctional plant growth-promoting attributes (production of ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, indole-3-acetic acid, and siderophores; solubilization of phosphorus, potassium, and zinc; 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase activity and biocontrol activity against plant pathogenic microbes). Cold-adapted microbes are ubiquitous in nature and have been reported from Antarctica, permanently ice-covered lakes, cloud droplets, ice cap cores from considerable depth, snow, glaciers, and those associated with plants growing in cold habitats. Cold-adapted microbial communities can be studied using culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques. Microbes recovered using both techniques revealed the occurrence of different and diverse major groups, viz., Actinobacteria, Ascomycota, Bacteroidetes, Basidiomycota, Chlamydiae, Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria, Euryarchaeota, Firmicutes, Gemmatimonadetes, Mucoromycota, Nitrospirae, Planctomycetes, Proteobacteria, Spirochaetes, Thaumarchaeota, and Verrucomicrobia. On the review of isolated cold-adapted microbes, it was found that Proteobacteria was the most dominant phylum followed by Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. This book chapter deals with the isolation, characterization, and biodiversity of cold-tolerant microbes from Antarctica; Himalayan cold desert; glaciers; ice-capped rivers; plant-associated, subalpine region of Uttarakhand; and different sub-glacial lakes. The biotechnological applications of cold-adapted microbes have been discussed. The benificial and potential cold-adapted microbes may have applications in diverse processes in agriculture, industry, and allied sectors.
Research Interests:
Abstract Worldwide, plant growth and productivity are majorly affected by the extreme environment of soil salinity, which is one of the major limiting factors. Numerous studies are increasing day by day to explore microbial diversity form... more
Abstract Worldwide, plant growth and productivity are majorly affected by the extreme environment of soil salinity, which is one of the major limiting factors. Numerous studies are increasing day by day to explore microbial diversity form saline environments and its application for crop improvements. Halophilic microbes are reported from diverse saline habitat including food crops growing under saline conditions, halophytic plants, saline lakes, sea, hypersaline soil, and mangrove. The microbiomes of saline habitats have the ability to survive in hypersaline conditions and colonized in rhizospheric/phyllospheric and internal tissue of plants. It promotes the plant growth by production of phytohormones and other important metabolites as well as produces some chemicals such as siderophore, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, and hydrolytic enzymes for defenses of host plant from pathogenic microbes. The biodiversity of halophilic microbes will be illustrated in terms of different phylum, class, genera, and species and their mechanisms of action for the enhancement of plant growth, salt stress, and soil health for sustainable agriculture. All three domain archaea, bacteria and eukaryote with different phylum, e.g., Actinobacteria, Ascomycota, Bacteroidetes, Balneolaeota, Basidiomycota, Cyanobacteria, Euryarchaeota, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria (α/β/γ/δ), and Spirochaetes obtained from diverse saline habitat have been reported. Among all halophilic microbes, the phylum Firmicutes was found to be most dominant followed by Proteobacteria whereas phylum Balneolaeota was found less in numbers. The microbes with ecological significance were reported, e.g., many microbes such as Alternaria, Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Halobacillus, Halomonas, Oceanobacillus, Penicillium, Pseudomonas, and Sediminibacillus have been sorted out to be common at all site studies/survey, whereas microbes Alcaligenes, Amycolatopsis, Cladosporium, Haloarchaeobius, Myrothecium, Salinibacter, Soortia, and Spirochaeta have been reported as niche specific. This chapter is a critical and comprehensive review on biodiversity of microbiomes in saline environments, its ecological significance, and potential biotechnological applications for the betterment of salt stress, soil health, and plant growth for agriculture sustainability. These halophilic microbes help in promoting plant growth by increasing uptake of nutrients, plant growth and yield under the saline habitat, which could be utilized as biofertilizers/bioinoculants for crops growing in saline habitat.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Injudicious application of chemical fertilizers in India has a considerable negative impact on economy and environmental sustainability. There is a growing need to turn back to nature or sustainable agents that promote evergreen... more
Injudicious application of chemical fertilizers in India has a considerable negative impact on economy and environmental sustainability. There is a growing need to turn back to nature or sustainable agents that promote evergreen agriculture. Potassium (K) is an important and well-known constraint to crop production. Very low rates of potash fertilizer application in agricultural production lead to rapid depletion of K in the soil. Depletion of plant-available K in soils results in a variety of negative impacts of the crops yield and soil health. Microorganisms play important role in determining plant productivity. For successful functioning of introduced microbial bioinoculants, exhaustive efforts have been made to explore soil microbial diversity of indigenous community, their distribution, and behavior in soil habitats. Soil microorganisms are directly responsible for recycling of nutrients. K is the third major essential macronutrient for plant growth. The concentrations of soluble potassium in the soil are usually very low, and more than 90% of potassium in the soil exists in the form of insoluble rocks. Use of plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) helps in increasing yields in addition to conventional plant protection. The most important PGPMs are Azotobacter, Azospirillum, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Bacillus circulans, B. edaphicus, B. globisporus, B. mucilaginosus, B. subtilis, Burkholderia cepacia, Enterobacter hormaechei, Paenibacillus kribensis, P. mucilaginosus, and Pseudomonas putida potassium solubilizes; these are eco-friendly and environmentally safe. Therefore, the efficient K-solubilizing microbes (KSM) should be applied for solubilization of a fixed form of K to an available form of K in the soils. This available K can be easily taken up by the plant for growth and development. In this chapter has been discussed isolation, characterization, diversity, and distribution of KSM from diverse stresses such as low and high temperatures, acidity, alkalinity, salinity, drought, and plant-associated applications. These studies elaborate on indigenous K-solubilizing microbes to develop efficient microbial bioinoculant for solubilization of K in different conditions of soil which enhances the plant growth and yield of crops.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Abstract Proteins, known as the building blocks of life, are synthesized by all forms of life as part of their natural metabolism. Certain proteins, including enzymes, act as biocatalysts and enhance the rate of metabolic reactions. With... more
Abstract Proteins, known as the building blocks of life, are synthesized by all forms of life as part of their natural metabolism. Certain proteins, including enzymes, act as biocatalysts and enhance the rate of metabolic reactions. With the advancements of genetic and protein engineering, the commercial production of proteins has increased and recombinant proteins are benefitting the major sectors of the biopharmaceutical, enzyme, and agricultural industries. Microbes serve as the best, most attractive and cost-effective cell factories for the production of various proteins. Various microbes, including Agrobacterium, Aspergillus, Bacillus, Cellulosimicrobium, Chaetomium, Chloroflexus, Dinoroseobacter, Enterococcus, Escherichia, Fusarium, Kluyveromyces, Lactobacillus, Penicillium, Pichia, Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus, Saccharomyces, and Streptomyces are being utilized for heterologous protein production and each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. The major problem that interferes with heterologous protein production includes the proteolytic degradation of the secreted protein by the host proteases and to overcome this problem various strategies, including disruption of the interfering protease genes, classical mutagenesis to construct strains secreting low levels of proteases, and constructing protease-deficient strains which further enhance productivity. These techniques could not completely solve the problems, but have helped to deal with proteolytic degradation to a great extent.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Microbiology, Environmental microbiology, Diversity, Thermophilic Microorganisms, Biology, and 13 moreEnvironmental Microbiology (Biology), Molecular Microbiology, Applied microbiology, Cultural Diversity, India, Actinobacteria, Agricultural Microbiology, Bacteria, Soil Microbiology, Bacterial Diversity, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and bacteroidetes
White biotechnology refers to the use of living cells and/or their enzymes to create industrial products that are more easily degradable, require less energy, and create less waste during production. The fungal white biotechnology... more
White biotechnology refers to the use of living cells and/or their enzymes to create industrial products that are more easily degradable, require less energy, and create less waste during production. The fungal white biotechnology includes biodiversity of fungi from different habitats, including extreme environments (high temperature, low temperature, salinity, and pH) and associated with plants (epiphytic, endophytic, and rhizospheric) and their industrial applications in diverse sectors. This chapter covered conclusion of all three book content of recent advancement in white biotechnology through fungi. The concluding remark envisioned the future beneficial role of fungi with the use of new biotechnological techniques with potential application in agriculture, industry, food and feed processing, as well as clean environments for future sustainable systems.
Research Interests:
Abiotic stress has become a major threat to plant growth and productivity. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonize plant root systems and modulate plant growth in various ways. This review addresses the significance of arbuscular mycorrhiza... more
Abiotic stress has become a major threat to plant growth and productivity. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonize plant root systems and modulate plant growth in various ways. This review addresses the significance of arbuscular mycorrhiza in alleviation of abiotic stresses and their beneficial effects on plant growth and productivity. It also focuses on recent progress in unravelling biochemical, physiological and molecular mechanisms in mycorrhizal plants to alleviate diverse abiotic stresses. The role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in alleviating diverse abiotic stress is well documented. This paper reviews the mechanisms arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi employ to enhance the abiotic stress tolerance of host plants such as enhanced nutrient acquisition (P, N, Mg and Ca), biochemical changes (accumulation of proline, betaines, polyamines, carbohydrates and antioxidants), physiological changes (photosynthetic efficiency, relative permeability, water status, abscissic acid accumulation, nodulation and nitrogen fixation), molecular changes.This review paper gives useful benchmark information for the development and prioritization of future research programmes.
Research Interests:
Soil is the basic requirement for agriculture crop production and simultaneously the microbial activity is important to improve soil health for healthy crop growth because microbial communities play an important role in building a complex... more
Soil is the basic requirement for agriculture crop production and simultaneously the microbial activity is important to improve soil health for healthy crop growth because microbial communities play an important role in building a complex link between plants and soil. Microbiomes from plants, soil and extreme environments are naturally gifted with amazing capabilities which play significant roles in the maintenance of global nutrient balance and ecosystem functions. The microbiomes from diverse niches have in fact emerged as potential tools for improving the plant growth and productivity by diverse mechanisms include solubilization of nutrients, nitrogen fixation, hormonal stimulation as well as biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. Further, these microbiomes have an immense potential to maintain soil health and fertility. Thus, dependent on their mode of action and effects, these microbiomes can be used as biofertilizers, biopesticides, plant strengtheners, and phytostimulators whic...
Research Interests:
Endophytic fungi are abundant and have been reported from all tissues such as roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. In recent years, research into the beneficial use of endophytic fungi has increased worldwide. In this chapter, we... more
Endophytic fungi are abundant and have been reported from all tissues such as roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. In recent years, research into the beneficial use of endophytic fungi has increased worldwide. In this chapter, we critically review the production of a wide range of secondary metabolites, bioactive compounds from fungal endophytes that are a potential alternative source of secondary plant metabolites and natural producers of high-demand drugs. One of the major areas in endophytic research that holds both economic and environmental potential is bioremediation. During their life span, microbes adapt fast to environmental pollutants and remediate their surrounding microenvironment. In the last two decades, bioremediation has arisen as a suitable alternative for remediating large polluted sites. Endophytic fungi producing ligninolytic enzymes have possible biotechnological applications in lignocellulosic biorefineries. This chapter highlights the recent progress that has been made in screening endophytic fungi for the production and commercialization of certain biologically active compounds of fungal endophytic origin.
Research Interests:
Microbes colonizing the inner part of plants, viz., root, stem, or seeds, are referred to as endophytes. Diverse groups of microbes (archaea, bacteria, and eukarya) have been reported as niche-specific endophytes allied with different... more
Microbes colonizing the inner part of plants, viz., root, stem, or seeds, are referred to as endophytes. Diverse groups of microbes (archaea, bacteria, and eukarya) have been reported as niche-specific endophytes allied with different crop ecosystems. Among the diverse groups, endophytic fungi may play a biological role with their host plant for different attributes. Endophytic fungi influence the development of plants by producing plant growth hormones while at the same time improving nutrition by the bidirectional transfer of nutrients and the health of plants by protecting them against pathogens. Endophytic fungal associations with plants confer protection against adverse environmental conditions such as tolerance to heavy metals (Cu, Zn, and Pb) and increased drought resistance and successfully compete with saprobic fungi. Endophytes are ubiquitous organisms valued for their ability to synthesize various bioactive compounds and have proven to be important sources of new bioactive compounds and extracellular enzymes (amylase, asparaginase cellulase, chitinase, laccase, lipase, protease, and tyrosinase). Plants infected with endophytic fungi see significant increases in biomass, improve commercial plant production, and are thus useful in agroforestry and flori-horticulture applications. Endophytic fungi are of biotechnological interest due to their potential for use as genetic vectors, biological control agents, sources of secondary metabolites, antimicrobial agents, antitumor compounds, antibiotics, immunosuppressants, producers of natural antioxidants, antiviral compounds, insecticidal products, and antidiabetic agents. This chapter presents a critical review of the isolation, characterization, identification, biodiversity, and potential applications of endophytic fungi in agriculture and allied sectors.
Research Interests:
Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses accepted as the main constraint for loss of the crop yield worldwide. Further, problems are created by nutrient limitations particularly low phosphorus (P). Soils though have higher... more
Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses accepted as the main constraint for loss of the crop yield worldwide. Further, problems are created by nutrient limitations particularly low phosphorus (P). Soils though have higher concentration of total phosphorus but are actually deficient in available orthophosphate due to which modern agricultural systems are highly dependent on chemical fertilizers. These chemical fertilizers are neither eco-friendly nor economically feasible and sustainable. Biotechnology offers a number of sustainable solutions to mitigate these problems by using plant growth-promoting (PGP) microbes. The PGP microbes colonize the rhizospheric region, or they may be endophytic or epiphytic and are beneficial for plant growth and adaptation to abiotic stresses. These microbes help the crops to tolerate drought conditions by different mechanisms including the production of exopolysaccharide (EPS), various phytohormones, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase, and a number of volatile compounds, enhancement of nutrient uptake, induction of the accumulation of osmolytes and antioxidants, upregulation or downregulation of the stress-responsive genes, or bringing about of alterations in root morphology. Inoculating plants with PGP microbes can increase tolerance against abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and metal toxicity. Systematic identification of bacterial strains providing cross-protection against multiple stressors would be highly valuable for agricultural production in changing environmental conditions. Among the PGP microbes, P-solubilizing microbes play an important role in plant growth and soil health, which belong to diverse genera such as Arthrobacter, Azospirillum, Azotobacter, Bacillus, Burkholderia, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Lysinibacillus, Paenibacillus, Pseudomonas, Serratia, and Streptomyces. The present chapter deals with biodiversity of P-solubilizing drought-tolerant microbes, mechanisms of plant growth promotion, and mitigation of drought stress in the plants.
Research Interests:
Abstract The plant ecosystem is very prone to unfavorable environmental conditions. Plants are directly or indirectly affected by several biotic and abiotic factors facing everyday triggers causing the underdevelopment of plants leading... more
Abstract The plant ecosystem is very prone to unfavorable environmental conditions. Plants are directly or indirectly affected by several biotic and abiotic factors facing everyday triggers causing the underdevelopment of plants leading disease. The agricultural soil and water system inhabit numerous natural microbial flora. Researchers are deeply working in the field of development of strategies to enhance plant growth promotion. One peculiar group of microbes called PGPR (Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria) alleviates the effect of biotic and abiotic stress factors directly or indirectly. The plant growth-promoting bacteria have several properties such as iron chelating ability, phosphate solubilization, ACC deaminase enzyme production under saline stress, phytohormone production, and many more. This significant potential makes them a very unique microbial candidate as bioinoculants enhancing plant growth both in favorable and unfavorable conditions. They play a very important role in sustaining all different geochemical cycles in the environment such as the carbon cycle, phosphorus cycle, sulfur cycle, and nitrogen cycle. PGPR may present as normal and as an extremophilic microorganism. The current compilation and description inculcate various types of compatibility of PGPR with plants in different climatic conditions. Few PGPRs such as Bacillus, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Azobacter, Enterobacter, Serratia, Variovorax, and Azospirillum are commercialized in the agriculture system to make it more sustainable.
Research Interests:
Abstract The plant ecosystem is very prone to unfavorable environmental conditions. Plants are directly or indirectly affected by several biotic and abiotic factors facing everyday triggers causing the underdevelopment of plants leading... more
Abstract The plant ecosystem is very prone to unfavorable environmental conditions. Plants are directly or indirectly affected by several biotic and abiotic factors facing everyday triggers causing the underdevelopment of plants leading disease. The agricultural soil and water system inhabit numerous natural microbial flora. Researchers are deeply working in the field of development of strategies to enhance plant growth promotion. One peculiar group of microbes called PGPR (Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria) alleviates the effect of biotic and abiotic stress factors directly or indirectly. The plant growth-promoting bacteria have several properties such as iron chelating ability, phosphate solubilization, ACC deaminase enzyme production under saline stress, phytohormone production, and many more. This significant potential makes them a very unique microbial candidate as bioinoculants enhancing plant growth both in favorable and unfavorable conditions. They play a very important role in sustaining all different geochemical cycles in the environment such as the carbon cycle, phosphorus cycle, sulfur cycle, and nitrogen cycle. PGPR may present as normal and as an extremophilic microorganism. The current compilation and description inculcate various types of compatibility of PGPR with plants in different climatic conditions. Few PGPRs such as Bacillus, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Azobacter, Enterobacter, Serratia, Variovorax, and Azospirillum are commercialized in the agriculture system to make it more sustainable.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Drought is the most limiting factors affecting plant development. It severely affects the crops and leads to serious reductions in yield. There are certain nutrients which also act as limiting factor for plants such as phosphorus and... more
Drought is the most limiting factors affecting plant development. It severely affects the crops and leads to serious reductions in yield. There are certain nutrients which also act as limiting factor for plants such as phosphorus and nitrogen. Under the conditions of nutrient limitations, growth is greatly reduced. Plant associated microbiome are gaining attention as they help the host (plant) to combat stress conditions. In the present study, stress-adaptive and phosphorus-solubilizing microbes were isolated from rhizosphere of different crops such as wheat, maize, foxtail millet, and finger millet growing in NW Indian Himalayas. A total of 70 microbes were isolated using different defined and selective growth media. The isolated microbes were screened for plant growth promoting (PGP) ability of phosphate solubilization using three different insoluble phosphorus (P) substrates (apatite, tricalcium phosphate and rock phosphate) under the drought stress conditions (5–8% PEG-8000). Among isolated microbes 27 isolates exhibited P-solubilizing attribute under the water deficient conditions. The two efficient drought-adaptive and P-solubilizing isolates were identified as Acinetobacter calcoaceticus EU- LRNA-72 and Penicillium sp. EU-FTF-6, respectively, by 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA gene sequencing. The isolates EU- LRNA-72 and EU-FTF-6 were evaluated for plant growth promoting (PGP) traits and mitigation of drought stress in foxtail millet under the controlled and natural conditions. The isolates A. calcoaceticus EU- LRNA-72 and Penicillium sp. EU-FTF-6 efficiently mitigated the adverse effects of drought in foxtail millet by enhancing the accumulation of glycine betaine, proline, sugars, and decreasing lipid peroxidation. The drought tolerant P-solubilizing microbes could be useful for plant growth promotion and mitigation of drought stress for crops growing under the water deficient conditions.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The special issue "Current Trends in Pharmaceutical Microbial Biotechnology for Sustainable Developments" will present a detailed compendium of methods and information used to study various aspects of pharmaceutical biotechnology,... more
The special issue "Current Trends in Pharmaceutical Microbial Biotechnology for Sustainable Developments" will present a detailed compendium of methods and information used to study various aspects of pharmaceutical biotechnology, pharmaceutical microbiology as well as related topics including synthetic biotechnology, omics technology, industrial bioprocesses for drug production, bioprocess enginieering DNA/protein engineering, and molecular pharmacology. This compilation will enhance our understanding and insights how this current trends of interdisciplinary science working for human welfare and mankind.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Endophytic microbes are ubiquitous in most plant species. Endophytic microbes enter plants mainly through wounds, naturally occurring as a result of plant growth or through root hairs and at epidermal conjunctions. Besides gaining... more
Endophytic microbes are ubiquitous in most plant species. Endophytic microbes enter plants mainly through wounds, naturally occurring as a result of plant growth or through root hairs and at epidermal conjunctions. Besides gaining entrance to plants through natural openings or wounds, endophytic microbes appear to actively penetrate plant tissues using hydrolytic enzymes like cellulase and pectinase. Diverse community structure of endophytes can be analyzed using culture-dependent and culture-independent method. Endophytic bacteria belong to different phyla such as Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Ascomycota, Bacteroidetes, Basidiomycota, Deinococcus-Thermus, and Firmicutes. Endophytic archaea (Euryarchaeota) were reported using only culture-independent method. Endophytic microbes were most predominant and studied and belonged to three major phyla Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Firmicutes. Among reported genera Achromobacter, Bacillus, Burkholderia, Enterobacter, Herbaspirillum, Pantoea, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, and Streptomyces were dominant in most host plants. Along with common endophytic microbial genera, there were many niche-specific microbial genera that have been reported from different host plants. Application of associative microbes for sustainable agriculture holds immense potential. Endophytic microbes are known to enhance growth and yield of plants by fixing atmospheric nitrogen and solubilization of phosphorus, potassium, and zinc; production of phytohormones (cytokinins, auxins, and gibberellins), ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and siderophores; and possession of antagonistic activity as well as reducing the level of stress ethylene in host plants. Endophytes seem to contribute to plant fitness and development, displaying beneficial traits that can be exploited in agricultural biotechnology. The interactions between endophytes and plants can promote plant health and play a significant role in low-input sustainable agriculture for both food and nonfood crops. This chapter summarizes part of the work being done on endophytic microbes, including their isolation, identification, diversity, distribution, and applications for sustainable agriculture.
Research Interests:
Microbial enzymes play a major role in hydrolysis of lignocellulosic compounds to fermentable sugars. In order to isolate thermotolerant bacterial isolates in Manikaran hot springs having potential to produce extracellular hydrolytic... more
Microbial enzymes play a major role in hydrolysis of lignocellulosic compounds to fermentable sugars. In order to isolate thermotolerant bacterial isolates in Manikaran hot springs having potential to produce extracellular hydrolytic enzymes were analyzed using different nutrient combinations. Of 120 isolates, twenty strains showed hydrolytic enzymes production at >70 C. Phylogenetic analysis of positive strains, based on 16S rDNA sequences indicated that isolates were clustered within 48% Proteobacteria, 33% Firmicutes and 19% Actinobacteria. Evaluation of hydrolytic enzymes production under submerged and solid state fermentation was done using paddy straw as sole carbon source. Out of twenty, seven bacterial isolates were found to be novel and efficient for the production of hydrolytic enzymes. A large variation was observed among different isolates for hydrolytic enzymes production. Seven isolates Lysinibacillus sp., Enterobacter cloacae, Rhodococcus qingshengii, Paenibacillu...
Research Interests:
Annual production of agrowaste in India is about 3.5 million tons. The agrowaste may be recycled by composting. Most of the consortia developed for efficient bioconversion of residue are mesophilic in nature, which cannot be utilized at... more
Annual production of agrowaste in India is about 3.5 million tons. The agrowaste may be recycled by composting. Most of the consortia developed for efficient bioconversion of residue are mesophilic in nature, which cannot be utilized at low temperature in hilly areas. Efficient utilization of agrowaste using microbial technology will solve the disposal problem of the waste and the finish product may be utilized for enhancement of soil fertility. With this view, 9 different isolates of fungi isolated from Leh cold desert, capable of growing at 40C were selected. All the isolates were screened for production of hydrolytic enzymes required for degradation of lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses with 1% paddy straw as a substrate and incubated at 100C for 15 days. Among 9 isolates only 6 isolate showed laccase activity, maximum being exhibited by Alternaria alternata. All the isolates showed nil or low lignin peroxidase activity except Penicillium chrysogenum. All the 9 isolates were po...
Research Interests:
The diversity and cold-active extracellular enzymes of culturable bacteria from Rohtang Pass (32° 22′ 17″ N : 77° 14′ 47″ E) was investigated. Twelve different nutrient combinations were used to isolate the maximum possible culturable... more
The diversity and cold-active extracellular enzymes of culturable bacteria from Rohtang Pass (32° 22′ 17″ N : 77° 14′ 47″ E) was investigated. Twelve different nutrient combinations were used to isolate the maximum possible culturable morphotypes. The bacterial abundance in the sediments of Rohtang Pass ranged between 6.50×103 to 8.67×105 cfu ml-1 water or cfu g-1 soil. A total of 135 bacterial isolates were obtained from ten different soil and water samples. These isolates could be grouped into 68 phylotypes based on the 16S rDNA-Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis with three restriction endonucleases- AluI, MspI and HaeIII. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene revealed that culturable bacteria belonged to three different phyla namely Actinobacteria (22.5%), Firmicutes (28.2%) and Proteobacteria (49.3%). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing the cultures were identified as Aeromicrobium, Aeromonas, Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Citricoccus, Exiguobacterium, Janibacter, Janth...
To elucidate the bio-diversity of plant growth promoting wheat associated acidotolerant bacteria from Southern hills zone of India. In this study, the diversity and phylogenetic relationships among plant growth-promoting (PGP) bacteria... more
To elucidate the bio-diversity of plant growth promoting wheat associated acidotolerant bacteria from Southern hills zone of India. In this study, the diversity and phylogenetic relationships among plant growth-promoting (PGP) bacteria isolated from the wheat phyllosphere, rhizosphere and endophytic growing in acidic soils of Tamilnadu (pH 3.8-6.8) were investigated. Bacterial diversity was analysed through amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) using three restriction enzymes Alu I, Hae III and Msp I which led to the grouping of 135 isolates into 33 clusters at >75% similarity index. 16S rRNA gene based phylogenetic analysis, revealed that isolates belonged to 4 phyla namely actinobacteria (4%), bacteroidetes (4%), firmicutes (52%) and proteobacteria (40%) with 33 distinct species of 13 genera. In vitro for plant growth promotion (PGP) traits were done at different pH which included solubilization of phosphorus, potassium and zinc, production of ammonia, hydrogen c...
Research Interests:
Special issue on "Bioremediation and Waste Management for Environmental Sustainability" is an effort to compile the latest information, innovations, and advancements in the field of enviornmental microbiology and biotechnology. Moreover,... more
Special issue on "Bioremediation and Waste Management for Environmental Sustainability" is an effort to compile the latest information, innovations, and advancements in the field of enviornmental microbiology and biotechnology. Moreover, it will cover the different aspects of microbial i.e. archaeal, bacterial, fungal and algal remediation, microbes for waste management, advancement in technlogies for bioremediation and waste management. The potential topics include 1. Novel methods and mechanisms of bioremediation 2. Micro-remediation 3. Pesticide degradation 4. Bioremediation of heavy metals 5. Biomedical waste management 6. Wastewater treatment 7. E-waste and its management 8. Microbial enzymes 9. Extremophiles for waste management 10. The nano-technological advancements for bioremediation
Research Interests:
The special issues on "Microbes for Environmental Sustainability" will present a detailed compendium of methods and information used to study various aspects of microbiology and biotechnology, including microbial biodiversity,... more
The special issues on "Microbes for Environmental Sustainability" will present a detailed compendium of methods and information used to study various aspects of microbiology and biotechnology, including microbial biodiversity, phylogenetic, genomics, proteomics, molecular enzymology, biochemistry, and potential biotechnological applications of microbes for in agro-environmental sustainability.
Research Interests:
The special issues on "Microbes for Agricultural Sustainability" will present a detailed compendium of methods and information used to study various aspects of microbiology and biotechnology, including microbial biodiversity,... more
The special issues on "Microbes for Agricultural Sustainability" will present a detailed compendium of methods and information used to study various aspects of microbiology and biotechnology, including microbial biodiversity, phylogenetic, genomics, proteomics, molecular enzymology, biochemistry, and potential biotechnological applications of microbes for in agro-environmental sustainability. The potential topics include 1. Agriculturally important microbes 2. Biodiversity from diverse plant ecosystems 3. Endophytic, rhizospheric and phyllospheric microbes 4. Plant-microbe interactions 5. Microbes for agricultural sustainability 6. Microbes as biofertilizers and biocontrol agents 7. Microbial secondary metabolites 8. Biodiversity from extreme habitats 9. Microbes for environmental sustainability 10. Biotechnological applications
Research Interests:
Soil Microbiomes for Plant growth Promotion and Soil Fertility is an effort to compile the latest information, innovations, and advancements in the field of all aspects of soil and phytomicrobiomes research, including providing... more
Soil Microbiomes for Plant growth Promotion and Soil Fertility is an effort to compile the latest information, innovations, and advancements in the field of all aspects of soil and phytomicrobiomes research, including providing fundamental insights into the understanding of plant-microbe interactions, microbial biodiversity of soil and microbes associated with plant systems. Moreover, it will cover the different aspects of microbial i.e. archaeal, bacterial, fungal and algal biodiversity in normal as well as extreme habitats and their potential role in plant growth promotion, mitigation of biotic/abiotic stress and nutrient cycling in ecosystems.
Research Interests:
Current Trends in Pharmaceutical Microbial Biotechnology will present a detailed compendium of methods and information used to study various aspects of pharmaceutical biotechnology, pharmaceutical microbiology as well as related topics... more
Current Trends in Pharmaceutical Microbial Biotechnology will present a detailed compendium of methods and information used to study various aspects of pharmaceutical biotechnology, pharmaceutical microbiology as well as related topics including synthetic biotechnology, omics technology, industrial bioprocesses for drug production, bioprocess enginieering DNA/protein engineering, and molecular pharmacology. This compilation will enhance our understanding and insights how this current trends of interdisciplinary science working for human welfare and mankind.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
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... more
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
Research Interests:
Trends of Microbial Biotechnology for Sustainable Agriculture and Biomedicine Systems: Perspectives for Human Health discusses how microbial biotechnology helps us understand new strategies to reduce pathogens and drug resistance through... more
Trends of Microbial Biotechnology for Sustainable Agriculture and Biomedicine Systems: Perspectives for Human Health discusses how microbial biotechnology helps us understand new strategies to reduce pathogens and drug resistance through microbial biotechnology. The most commonly used probiotic bacteria are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Therefore, the probiotic strains exhibit powerful anti-inflammatory, antiallergic and other important properties. This new book provides an indispensable reference source for engineers/bioengineers, biochemists, biotechnologists, microbiologists, pharmacologists, and researchers who want to know about the unique properties of this microbe and explore its sustainable biomedicine future applications
Research Interests:
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... more
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.