The book titled “Microbiome and Plant Nutrition꞉ A Roadmap Towards Sustainable Agriculture” is expected to direct many emerging research pathways needed at local and global levels for sustainable agricultural package and practices. This volume incorporates thirteen seminal chapters on issue based research and their practical applications covering latest information and progress in different areas of microbial supplemented crop nutrition for sustainable agriculture. The book highlights the frontier issues and applications of plant‐microbe interaction in crop nutritional strategy with topics like System biology of plant microbe interaction, Plant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria꞉ a context for sustainable agriculture, Plant growth‐promoting endophytes꞉ a context for sustainable agriculture, The role of the mycorrhiza in nutrient uptake, Plant nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur nutrition꞉ a microbial perspective, Carbon and nitrogen turnover in soils and plant rhizo‐deposition, Root exudates꞉ a link to plant‐microbe nutritional interactions and insight into the metabolic and nutrition network pathway of plant‐microbe interaction, Commercialization perspective of bio‐stimulants for sustainable agriculture, Interconnection of plants with microbiomes in changing climate꞉ a functional extension of the host and heavy metal dynamics in rice soil꞉ an alleviation through microbial intervention approach. This book will be very useful for the scholars, biotechnologists, agricultural scientists, plant nutritionists, researchers, teachers and students in the emerging field of soil‐microbiome and plant nutrition dynamics in the resilient climatic agriculture era.

Symbiosis is a vital and enduring interaction between two species in nature, benefiting both organisms involved. Mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism are the three main types of symbiotic relationships. Mutualism benefits both species, commensalism benefits one species while leaving the other unaffected, and parasitism benefits one species at the expense of the other. These interactions play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem stability and functionality. Symbiosis relies on a close genetic, physiological, and morphological connection between the participating species. Numerous examples demonstrate the significance of symbiosis in nature. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria, for instance, convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, which plants can utilize as a nutrient. This process reduces the reliance on chemical fertilizers. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhance nutrient and water absorption in plants, while certain bacteria in the soil improve nutrient availability, plant development, and photosynthesis. These instances highlight the diverse ways in which symbiosis supports the well-being of different species. This book thoroughly explores various aspects of symbiosis in nature, delving into topics such as signaling, its importance in agriculture, and its role in mitigating abiotic stresses. It also provides a comprehensive exploration of various aspects related to symbiosis in nature, offering readers a valuable opportunity to enhance their understanding of this subject. By offering valuable insights, the book sheds light on the beneficial relationships that exist between different species. Overall, symbiosis is an integral mechanism that promotes the interdependence and cooperation of species in nature. Understanding the complexities and benefits of symbiotic relationships is essential for comprehending and preserving the delicate balance within ecosystems.

This book provides information about plant–environment studies and challenges for plant improvement to achieve food security. Plants face a wide range of environmental challenges, which are expected to become more intense as a result of global climate change. Plant–environment interactions play an important role in the functioning of ecosystems. There are habitats throughout the world that present challenges to crop plants, such as through a lack of water and excessive, or toxic, salts in the soil. Soil properties represent a strong selection pressure for plant diversity and influence the structure of plant communities and participate to the generation and maintenance of biodiversity. Plant communities selected by environment grow by modifying soil physical, chemical, and biological properties, with consequent effects on survival and growth of plants. The complexity of plant–environment interactions has recently been studied by developing a trait-based approach in which responses and effects of plants on environment were quantified and modeled. This fundamental research on plant–environment interaction in ecosystems is essential to transpose knowledges of functional ecology to environmental management. Plants have adapted to an incredible range of environment, and extensive researches on ecological and environmental plant physiology have provided mechanistic understanding of the survival, distribution, productivity, and abundance of plant species across the diverse climates of our planet. Ecophysiological techniques have greatly advanced our understanding of photosynthesis, respiration, plant water relations, and plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses, from instantaneous to evolutionary timescales. Ecophysiological studies also provide the basis for scaling plant physiological processes from the tissue to the canopy, ecosystem, region, and to a large extent, the entire globe. Given the above, the author proposes to bring forth a comprehensive book, “New Frontiers in Plant-Environment Interactions”, highlighting the various emerging techniques and applications that are currently being used in plant–environment interaction research and its future prospects. The author is sure that this book caters the need of all those who are working or have interest in the above topic.

Phytoremediation is the process that uses plants to remove pollutants from soils. These pollutants are stored in the edible parts of plants and, if they are consumed above a certain level, they become a health risk for humans and animals. This book is a critical review of phytoremediation, its direct or indirect effects on food products, and the risks posed by this cost-effective technology in food safety. It shows how different plants are suited for phytoremediation, explains the role of toxicants in the environment, and analyses their effects and risks in the food chain at a global level. It also reviews the extraction methods of toxicants from plants after they are exposed to phytoremediation. Features: Summarizes the phytoremediation technology for effective remediation Describes different types of pollutants in soils that render food products useless Identifies the role of phytoremediation in the environment and its advantages and disadvantages Explains the role of phytoexclusion and phytostabilization in foods and food safety Includes many case studies to describe the extraction protocols in postharvest for food safety This book is intended for practitioners in public and private companies involved in soil remediation and food production, as well as graduate students and academics, in both developed and developing countries, who are involved in soil and environmental sciences, the food industry, agriculture, and biotechnology.

Heavy metal pollution represents a global challenge to both public health and environmental sustainability. Any means to reduce heavy metal pollution in the environment is of considerable economic significance. The use of green plants to clean up heavy metal pollution is an environmentally friendly as well as a low-cost approach to the problem. This plant-based biotechnology is commonly known as ‘phytoremediation’. Presently, there is limited application of this technology because useful plants with enhanced heavy metal resistance/tolerance are still needed to assist remediation of environments polluted with heavy metals. A key to improved phytoremediation of heavy metal pollution lies in research seeking for a better understanding of the mechanism(s) of heavy metal resistance/tolerance in plants. This E-book presents a unique treatment of the topics that have never been comprehensively brought together before in a single advanced reference. The volume explores aspects of plant biology that are critical for employing phytoremedation techniques to combat heavy metal contamination such as the specific plant biology, seed biology, plant tissue culture and enzymology. This E-book will be a useful reference to plant biologists, biotechnologists and environmental engineers seeking information about phytoremediation of heavy metals from the environment.

In the past few decades, climate change has become one of the biggest threats to the Earth’s ecosystem and biodiversity. Several environmental stress factors such as salinity and drought have already threatened the viability of sustainable agriculture, an alarm bell to researchers. Soil salinity hampers development through its effects on the morphological, physiological, and biochemical processes associated with plant growth. Drought, on the other hand, affects the productivity of crops. It is anticipated that by 2050, drought will be the leading cause of hampered crop production due to increases in the magnitude of climate change. These changes present a formidable challenge when it comes to feeding a global population, which will require an 0.84% annual increase in crop production. Climate change-induced environmental changes and the continuously growing world population, therefore, demand renewed efforts to increase food production. In this regard, the role of the phytobiome in assuring soil-plant health will be an important issue across crop-wide and area-wide research. A plant's microbiome plays an important role in guiding plant growth and development. Plants adapted to extreme conditions, such as those in desert or saline environments, harbor microbes in their rhizosphere or endosphere that help to provide the required physiological resistance necessary to survive in those environments. Microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, and viruses associated with plant roots increase plants' resistance to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Microorganisms also moderate stress for crop plants, paving the way for sustainable agriculture.