Microbial Biostimulants for Plant Growth, Development and Abiotic Stress Amelioration provides readers with insights into the major role of biostimulants in plant growth and development while under abiotic stress. The term biostimulants is broadly used to reference a group of diverse substances and microorganisms that stimulate life or that promote favorable plant responses. They stimulate natural processes to enhance/benefit nutrient uptake, nutrient efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stress, and crop quality. Many biostimulants improve nutrition and they do so regardless of their own nutrient contents. Further, recently microbe-based biostimulants have emerged as important plant protectors under a range of adverse conditions. Microbial Biostimulants for Plant Growth, Development and Abiotic Stress Amelioration is the latest volume in the Biostimulants and Protective Biochemical Agents series. Presents the potential for more environmentally sustainable interventions against abiotic stresses Highlights the variety of applications for which biostimulants are proving effective Includes coverage of commercialization and role in addressing Sustainability Development Goals

This book provides a comprehensive overview of different agriculturally important microorganisms and their role as plant biostimulants. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, Trichoderma, Cyanobacteria, Endophytes, and Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria have the potential to promote plant growth, disease management, nutrient acquisition, stress alleviation, and soil health management. Presenting an all-inclusive collection of information, this book will be important for students, academicians, researchers working in the field of sustainable agriculture, microbial technology, and biochemical engineers. It will also be of use for policymakers in the area of food security and sustainable agriculture. - Introduces new microorganisms as plant biostimulants. - Describes potential mechanisms of plant–microbe interaction for stress alleviation and crop improvement. - Provides information about different microbial formulations (consortium) and their application to the alleviation of different abiotic stresses (salt, drought, nutrient deficiency, heavy metal, etc.) in plants. - Discusses about psychrophilic microbes, endophytic microbes, and total plant microbiome and their uses as biostimulants for improving plant health.

This book provides a comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between microbial symbionts and plants in the era of climate change. It focuses on the plant microbiome associated with different plant organs like roots, leaves, stems, fruit, and seeds, and showcases their significant role in the enhancement of crop yield and protection in a sustainable manner. Concomitantly, acumens to the most emerging trends in plant microbial research that includes rhizosphere engineering and metagenomics are also covered in this title. The association of microbial symbionts with the host offers a wide advantage in terms of acclimatization to varied environmental conditions. A large number of microbes such as cyanobacteria, PGPR, endophytes, and AMF have been shown to improve plant growth and production under the effect of various abiotic and biotic stresses. These microbial symbionts secrete several secondary metabolites, signaling molecules, and hydrolytic enzymes that play a multifarious role in improving plant growth and yield. Moreover, the symbionts have been known to regulate the host responses at the molecular level. Bioprospecting these microbial symbionts will provide an alternative to the chemical-based fertilizers and pave the path for the development of biofertilizers. The book is a suitable reading material for undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers, and scientists working in the field of agricultural biotechnology, microbiology, mycology and plant pathology, and allied fields of plant and microbial sciences. The book in this context attempts to provide an integrative and exhaustive study as well as research material that would help the scientific community in wide respect.

Microbial Endophytes: Functional Biology and Applications focuses on endophytic bacteria and fungi, including information on foundational endophytes and the latest advances in relevant genomics, proteomics and nanotechnological aspects. The book provides insights into the molecular aspects of plant endophytes and their interactions and applications, also exploring the potential commercialization of endophytic microorganisms and their use as bio fertilizers, in biocontrol, and as bioactive compounds for other sustainable applications. Coverage of important and emerging legal considerations relevant to those working to implement these important bacteria in production processes is also included. - Presents discussion on entry, colonization and the distribution of endophytic microorganisms - Explores the phyto immunological functions of endophytic microorganisms - Provides genomic insights on plant endophyte interaction - Identifies bio-commercial aspects of microbial endophytes for sustainable agriculture, including potential legal issues and IPR in microbial research

In the recent past, significant strides have been made in the domain of plant growth regulators (PGRs) and biostimulants. In the sustainable utilization of plant germplasm PGRs and biostimulants play a pivotal role. With a magnified growth rate and less risk of inducing clonal somaclonal variations, PGRs (such as auxins, gibberellins, isoprenoid and aromatic cytokinins, ethylene, and abscisic acid) serve as a boon to plant biologists especially those working with rare endangered and threatened species and medicinal and aromatic plant species. Furthermore, the combined effect of PGRs with LEDs (light-emitting diode) on various aspects of plant development is an area of research gaining attention. The use of biostimulants to promote plant growth, yield and stress tolerance has increasingly gained attention. However, their functional role in the growth and development of plants is not clearly understood.

Hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition are major challenges in many parts of the world. Soil degradation and increased water stress worldwide are the major obstacle in the way of the resilient agri–food system. It has been estimated that, across the globe, over 800 Mha of land is affected by salts which include both salinity and alkalinity. Under stress conditions, soil, plant and microorganisms form a unique mutualistic relationship in and around the rhizosphere. Soil microorganisms inhabiting the rhizosphere, called Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR), possesses the potential to enhance plant growth through several mechanisms and also alleviate the effect of abiotic stresses on plants. Hence, this book aims to bring out a comprehensive collection of scientific research which includes the functions of the rhizosphere to harness plant–microbe interactions and PGPR for abiotic stress mitigation and enhancing crop performance.

Microbial Management of Plant Stresses: Current Trends, Application and Challenges explores plant microbiota including isolated microbial communities that have been used to study the functional capacities, ecological structure and dynamics of the plant-microbe interaction with focus on agricultural crops. Presenting multiple examples and evidence of the potential genetic flexibility of microbial systems to counteract the climate induced stresses associated with their host as a part of indigenous system, this book presents strategies and approaches for improvement of microbiome. As climate changes have altered the global carbon cycling and ecological dynamics, the regular and periodic occurrences of severe salinity, drought, and heat stresses across the different regimes of the agro-ecological zones have put additional constraints on agricultural ecosystem to produce efficient foods and other derived products for rapidly growing world population through low cost and sustainable technology. Furthermore chemical amendments, agricultural inputs and other innovative technologies although may have fast results with fruitful effects for enhancing crop productivity but also have other ecological drawbacks and environmental issues and offer limited use opportunities. Microbial formulations and/or microbial consortia deploying two or multiple partners have been frequently used for mitigation of various stresses, however, field success is often variable and improvement Smart, knowledge-driven selection of microorganisms is needed as well as the use of suitable delivery approaches and formulations. Microbial Management of Plant Stresses: Current Trends, Application and Challenges presents the functional potential of plant microbiota to address current challenges in crop production addressing this urgent need to bring microbial innovations into practice. - Demonstrates microbial ecosystems as an indigenous system for improving plant growth, health and stress resilience - Covers all the novel aspects of microbial regulatory mechanism. Key challenges associated with microbial delivery and successful establishment for plant growth promotion and stress avoidance - Explores plant microbiome and the modulation of plant defense and ecological dynamics under stressed environment

Biostimulants (a diverse class of compounds including substances or microorganisms) are helpful in sustainable plants growth and development. They accelerate plant growth, yield, and chemical composition even under unfavorable conditions. The main biostimulants are nitrogen-containing compounds, humic materials, some specific compounds released by microbes, plants, and animals, various seaweed extracts, bio-based nanomaterials, phosphite, silicon, and so on. Additionally, new generation products and bioproducts are being developed for sustainable plant growth and protection. Some research works in the area of biotechnology and nanobiotechnology have shown improved sustainable plant growth and production. The protective roles of biostimulants are varied depends on the compound and plant species. Exposure of biostimulants have shown accelerated plants growth and developmental processes for instance, manage stomatal conductance and rate of transpiration, and increase rate of photosynthesis etc. They also increased crop plants immune systems against the adverse situation. Thus, use of innovations of new generation biostimulants also enhance plant production systems, through a significant reduction of synthetic chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers. Moreover, bioinoculants commercial products obtained from seaweed extract, humic acids, amino acids, fulvic acids, and some microbial inoculants have shown their potential role in adventitious root induction in plants. Microbial inoculants or microbial-based biostimulants, as a promising and eco-friendly technology, can be widely used to address environmental concerns and fulfill the need for developing sustainable or modern agriculture practices. They have great potential to elicit plant tolerance to various climate change-related stresses and thus enhance plant growth and overall performance-related features. However, for successful implementation biostimulants-based agriculture in the field under changing climate conditions, an understanding of plant functions and biostimulants interaction or action mechanisms coping with various abiotic as well as biotic stresses at the physicochemical, metabolic, and molecular levels is required. Mycorrhizae are beneficial fungi that form symbiotic associations with plants and aid in plant development, disease resistance, and soil health is well established. Similarly, phyllospheric microbiome are known to possess different plant growth promotion attributes like nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, biocontrol activity, and increase plant resistance towards abiotic stresses. The plant growth promotion traits possessed by these phyllospheric microbiota can be judiciously harbored for phyllospheric and rhizospheric engineering. The engineered phyllospheric and rhizospheric microbiome can increase the plant growth and productivity, thereby, can act as a driving force for increasing the agricultural production in a sustainable manner. Taken together, this book aims to contribute to the recent understanding associated with the various role and application of biostimulants on different plant for their sustainable growth and management. - Discusses our current understanding of, and advances in, biostimulants, along with their application in plants growth performance and overall management - Explores new techniques, new generation products, and bioproducts - Highlights the role of seaweed extract, humic acids, protein hydrolysates, amino acids, melatonin, paramylon, fulvic acids, microbial inoculants (phyllospheric and rhizospheric), and more