Probiotics in Agroecosystem

This book focuses on food security in sustainable agriculture and nutrient management. The study of plant probiotic microbes’ synergism using existing techniques has greatly improved our grasp of the structure and functioning of the plant microbiome. However, the function of plant probiotic microbes and their relation to plants’ health in the context of food security, soil nutrient management, human and plant health are largely unexplored. Compared to human probiotics, diverse types and millions of microbiota inhabit plants, forming multifaceted and complicated ecological societies that stimulate plant growth and health through their combined metabolic activities. From the perspective of sustainable cropping systems, observing plant probiotics can provide insights on how to stimulate and maintain plant productivity, along with host stress tolerance and recycling of soil nutrients. This book combines reviews and original research articles to highlight the latest advances in plant probiotics, their specificity, diversity, function, as well as plant microbiome management to improve plant growth and productivity, nutrient management and human health.

Dr. Vivek Kumar is a scientist with involved in teaching, research and guidance, with a pledge to enduring knowledge. Dr. Kumar is working in Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, India. He obtained his masters and doctoral degree from CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, India. He is serving as editor and reviewer of several reputed international journals. He has published 61 research papers, 19 book chapters, six review articles and four books. Dr. Kumar has also served as Microbiologist for eight years in Department of Soil and Water Research, Public Authority of Agricultural Affairs & Fish Resources, Kuwait. He has been credited with first time reporting and identification of Pink Rot inflorescence disease of Date palm in Kuwait caused by Serratia marcescens He has also organized number of conferences/workshops as convener/ organizing secretary.

Dr. Kumar’s research area are plant-microbe-interactions, environmental microbiology and bioremediation. He has been awarded ‘Young Scientist Award’ for the year 2002 in ‘Agricultural Microbiology’ by the Association of Microbiologists of India (AMI).

Dr. Manoj Kumar is a scientist with sanguine behavior who adores about research and development, with a commitment to lifelong learning. He is determined on high quality science that contributes broadly to both increasing intellectual knowledge of plant development and to increasing the ecological niche. He has a high level of professional desire and intellectual hunt, and the potential to fulfil the dream of his high impact publications and the future recognition of these by academic peers.

Dr. Kumar has pursued his PhD in Plant Biotechnology from prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University and then awarded two postdocotoral fellowships consecutively: i) DBT-PDF from IISc Bangalore in 2005 and then NRF-PDF from University of Pretoria.

Dr. Manoj Kumar is a researcher of Plant Biotechnology in the Amity University Uttar Pradesh, India. The present research goal is to understand the metabolic fate of microbial mediated precursors in whole plant physiology and genetics through processes occurring at the level of metabolism, particularly through processes rhizosphere communication under in situ and in vitro plants. Many graduate and undergraduate students have worked with him those have been placed in prestigious organizations worldwide.

Dr. Kumar has published his research work in many prestigious journals and played a role of reviewer for peers.

Dr. Shivesh Sharma is Associate professor and Head Department of Biotechnology at Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT), Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Dr. Shivesh Sharma has completed his Masters and Ph. D. in the field of Microbiology. His research interests include Environmental Microbiology/Biotechnology, Plant Microbe interaction and bioformulations. Before joining MNNIT Allahabad, Dr. Shivesh Sharma has worked at S.B.S (PG) Institute of Biomedical Sciences and Research, Balawala, Dehradun Uttarakhand during 2002 to 2009. He has been involved in number of research projects funded both externally (DBT, UGC, DST, MHRD) and internally in the fields of his research interests. His teaching interests include Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology/Biotechnology, Food Biotechnology, Bacteriology and IPR.

He has successfully supervised 7 Ph.D., 8 M. Tech. and 28 M.Sc. students. He has more than 80 publications in different research journals and various book chapters to his credit. He has also organized various outreach activities.

Dr. Ram Prasad is Assistant Professor at the Amity University, Uttar Pradesh, India. Dr. Prasad has completed his Ph.D. from the Department of Microbiology, Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, UP, India, in collaboration of School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India. Dr Prasad received his M.Sc. in Life Sciences at JNU and also qualified CSIR-NET, ASRB-NET, and GATE. His research interest includes plant-microbe-interactions, sustainable agriculture and microbial nanobiotechnology. Dr. Prasad has 93 publications to his credit, including research papers & book chapters and five patents issued or pending, and edited or authored several books. Dr. Prasad has eleven years of teaching experience and he has been awarded the Young Scientist Award (2007) and Prof. J.S. Datta Munshi Gold Medal (2009) by the International Society for Ecological Communications; FSAB fellowship (2010) by the Society for Applied Biotechnology; Outstanding Scientist Award (2015) in the field of Microbiology by Venus International Foundation; and the American Cancer Society UICC International Fellowship for Beginning Investigators (USA, 2014). In 2014-2015, Dr. Prasad served as Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, USA.