Mycorrhiza in agroecosystem restoration is a groundbreaking book that sheds light on the critical role of mycorrhiza in restoring agroecosystems. This book comprehensively overviews the latest research findings, methodologies, and techniques for mycorrhizal management in agricultural systems. It serves as an essential guide for researchers, professionals, and students interested in understanding the importance of mycorrhizae in agroecosystem restoration.

This edited book highlights the multifunctional role of the ubiquitous molecule, melatonin in crop plants. The major focus of this edition is to provide a comprehensive insight into the key focus is on Melatonin mediated alleviation of abiotic stresses and pathogens infection.

This book is a compilation of protocols developed through a Coordinated Research Project of the Joint FAO/IAEA Center of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, specifically focused on mutation breeding for resistance to Striga. The book consists of three sections; (i) a general introduction on Striga biology and impact and mutagenesis in cereal crops; (ii) protocol chapters focusing on field, screenhouse and laboratory screening and diagnostic for resistance to Striga asiatica and S. hermonthica in sorghum, upland rice and maize, and; (iii) efficiency enhancing technologies such as rapid crop cycling, doubled haploid production and genomics for mutation discovery and marker development. These chapters were written by well recognized experts in Striga biology and physiology, and cereal breeders. The book is intended to serve as a unique reference and guide for plant breeders and geneticists engaged in breeding for resistance to Striga in cereals.

Large-scale chemical fertilizer application causes irreparable damage to soil structure, mineral cycles, soil microbial flora, plants, and other food chains across ecosystems, culminating in heritable mutations in future generations of consumers. A better way forward is the use of nanofertilizers to focus on macro elements (N, P, K), as switching to nanofertilizers may result in large environmental benefits by replacing the majority of these nutrients. Furthermore, the biosynthesis of nanomaterials using bacteria, algae, yeast, fungus, actinomycetes, and plants has opened up a new avenue of research in the production of inorganic nanoparticles as ecologically friendly fertilizers.

This book provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date review of research on vegetable plants associated with root-galls disease caused by root-knot nematodes (RKNs), Meloidogyne spp. Vegetables retain a key position in cultural cuisines and their consumption worldwide due to rich sources of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, but root galls disease of these crops caused by RKNs steals both quantity and quality from production. The field of plant nematology has experienced exponential growth over the past decade, and these RKNs are now known as widely damaging obligate plant parasites of vegetable plants. Advances are being made in understanding their biology, parasitism in the root system, giant cell development, root gall formation, chemical signalling, root-knot disease complexes, and management systems.

There has been a dramatic increase in theoretical and practical studies on insect natural enemies over the last decades. The appeal of insect predators and, in particular, parasitoids, as research animals derives from the relative ease with which many species may be cultured and experimented on in the laboratory, the simple life-cycles of most parasitoid species, and the increasing demand for biological pest control as a key component of the integrated pest management approach.

The volume focuses on novel and effective biological and biotechnological methods for managing major plant parasitic nematodes in economically important agricultural crops. Nematodes develop a wide variety of interactions with soil microbes and host plants, and cause enormous losses in crop yields equivalent to around USD 173 billion annually. In view of growing concern for pesticide contamination in crops, coupled with ban on several efficacious pesticides, and increasing demand for organic foods, the biological and biotechnological approaches offer a good alternative to chemicals for managing nematode infestations in agricultural crops. The book embodies twenty-two chapters which are arranged in two groups. The first group covers different novel methods of nematode management such as biotechnological, biopesticides, microbial consortia, host resistance, omics technology, transgenics, nano-nematicides, nano-diagnosis, etc. The second groups of chapters describe important nematode problems in major crops such as cereals, vegetables, pulses, spices, wood yielding conifers, etc. Overall, the book collates the latest information on above topics and offers practical solutions to the limitations and challenges in the existing management technologies. This book is of interest and serves up-to-date and elaborated information to agriculture researchers, teachers, scientists, under-graduates, post-graduates, plant nematologists, plant pathologists, plant protectionists, agronomists, horticulturalists, helminthologists, extension workers, and NGOs.

This book focus on creating popularity and interest in modeling, derivation of equations for plant disease forecasting or construction and use of Web-based Expert Systems among plant pathologists. This book covers descriptions of many historic plant disease epidemics, various forecasting systems and methods of their construction, instruments required for study of plant disease epidemics, widely used commercial forecasting systems and present global scenario of forecasting.

In the human history plant disease epidemics have brought unsurmountable misery many a times. Still breaking out of epidemic in any time in any part of the world is a stark reality. The panic spraying of chemical pesticides is not a panacea. Only the IPM technology may give relief. This technology if backed by the disease forewarning system may yield the desired results. Hence, an in depth understanding of plant disease forecasting system and its successful implementation may bring the global food security.

This title provides a useful background for all students, practitioners, and researchers interested in the field of epidemiology, food security and agriculture sciences.

various types of crop pests. The main focus of this book is to explore the application of these tools in pest management. Major pest groups covered in this book are insects, mites and nematodes.

The book deals with latest research achievements of Brassica scientists using omics approaches in understanding host-pathogen interaction, molecular detection, identification, and functional characterization of effectors/genes including pathogenomics and biometabolomics. Genomics of host-pathogen interaction is a source of information for the teachers, students, researchers, and policy makers to foster success in enhancing the Brassica production and productivity through the development of improved disease-resistant varieties with the use of omics technologies. It is a base and sound plate form for managing biological stresses of Brassica at global level. The book covers up-to-date information on genomics of host-pathogen interaction, pathogenomics of crucifers’ pathogen, and biometabolomics of host pathosystem supplemented with ample photographs, illustrations, and figures which make it stimulating, effective, and easy to comprehend for readers, researchers, biology students, teachers, and policy makers.

The book deals with latest research achievements of Brassica scientists using omics approaches in understanding host-pathogen interaction, molecular detection, identification, and functional characterization of effectors/genes including pathogenomics and biometabolomics. Genomics of host-pathogen interaction is a source of information for the teachers, students, researchers, and policy makers to foster success in enhancing the Brassica production and productivity through the development of improved disease-resistant varieties with the use of omics technologies. It is a base and sound plate form for managing biological stresses of Brassica at global level. The book covers up-to-date information on genomics of host-pathogen interaction, pathogenomics of crucifers’ pathogen, and biometabolomics of host pathosystem supplemented with ample photographs, illustrations, and figures which make it stimulating, effective, and easy to comprehend for readers, researchers, biology students, teachers, and policy makers.

Plant mycobiome represents a diverse array of plant-associated communities of endophytic and epiphytic fungi. These communities fundamentally affect plant health, development, adaptation, and communication with the surrounding ecosystem. Furthermore, they have key roles in the establishment, diversification, productivity, and sustainability of different natural ecosystems. However, some of these communities are pathogenic for the plant itself or dangerous for the consumers, due to the production of mycotoxins. In other words, plant mycobiome represents two faces of a coin.

Over the past three decades there has been a dramatic increase in theoretical and practical studies on insect natural enemies. The appeal of insect predators, and parasitoids in particular, as research animals derives from the relative ease with which many species may be cultured and experimented with in the laboratory, the simple life cycles of most parasitoids, and the increasing demand for biological pest control.

This fully revised 3rd edition provides a comprehensive overview of the biology of fungi associated with plants. Since the publication of the 2nd Edition in 2009, tremendous new knowledge has been gained in the field of fungal-plant interactions, which is reflected in the contributions of this book.

This book brings together specialized information on modern aspects of applied microbiology in pest management. In the last few decades, the humans have witnessed major advancements in Life Sciences, as a result several new and powerful tools and techniques have evolved. This has led to great advancements in microbial nutrition, genetics and their application in different fields. In modern era of biotechnology, the microbes have provided solutions to many of the human problems and necessities and thus serve as human and farmers’ friends.