Beneficial Microbes For Sustainable Agriculture And Environmental Management

Microbial communities and their multi-functionalities play a crucial role in the management of soil and plant health, and thus help in managing agro-ecology, the environment and agriculture. Microorganisms are key players in N-fixation, nutrient acquisition, carbon sequestration, plant growth promotion, pathogen suppression, induced systemic resistance and tolerance against stresses, and these parameters are used as indicators of improved crop productivity and sustainable soil health.

Microbial communities and their multi-functionalities play a crucial role in the management of soil and plant health, and thus help in managing agro-ecology, the environment and agriculture. Microorganisms are key players in N-fixation, nutrient acquisition, carbon sequestration, plant growth promotion, pathogen suppression, induced systemic resistance and tolerance against stresses, and these parameters are used as indicators of improved crop productivity and sustainable soil health.

The book provides an overview relevant to various biological mechanisms that regulate carbon exchanges between the major components and their response to climate change. Climate change has a significant impact on people's lives, energy demand, food security, etc. The soil microbial ecology is vital for assessing terrestrial and aquatic carbon cycles and climate feedback. However, the primary concern is the complexity of the soil microbial community and its severely affected functions due to the climate and other global changes. Global warming comprises an assessment of the dynamic interactions and feedback between microbes, plants, and their physical environment due to climate change.

This book covers crop stress management with potential implications for crop production induced by Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). It provides new insights into our understanding of the mechanisms of AMF-mediated growth regulation and stress tolerance covering the most recent biochemical, physiological, molecular, environmental and ecological studies. Focusing on various physiological and molecular mechanisms induced by AMF to enhance tolerance to different stresses, each environmental constraint is discussed in an individual dedicated chapter. Moreover, the book provides not only updated information with new insights and perspectives but also several new topics, such as comprehensive discussion on biotic stressors, the potential role of elevated CO2, hormones, and signal molecules in stress perception, signal transduction and subsequent stress tolerance. The book also discusses the potential implications of AMF for sustainable crop production in the context of climate change.