More than a century has passed since the first bioformulations were introduced to the market. But there is still much to be done, explored and developed. Though bioformulations offer green alternatives and are important for sustainable agriculture, they make up only a small fraction of the total additions used to enhance crop yields or protect them from pests. There is a great need to develop bioformulations that can promote confidence among end users; accordingly, it is imperative that bioformulations to replace chemicals be reliable and overcome the shortcomings of the past.
Bioformulations: for Sustainable Agriculture discusses all the issues related to the current limitations and future development of bioformulations. It examines in detail those bioformulations that include biofertilizers and biopesticides (also commonly known as bioinoculants), presenting a global picture of their development. Further chapters address diverse microbes that are already being or could be used as bioformulations. The book also discusses the techniques, tools and other additions required to establish bioformulations as trustworthy and global solutions. It assesses the types of bioformulations currently available on the market, while also considering the future roles of bioformulations, including the reclamation of marginal and polluted soils. Further, it discusses the current legislation and much-needed amendments. Overall the book provides a comprehensive outlook on the status quo of bioformulations and the future approaches needed to improve them and achieve sustainable agriculture and food security without sacrificing the quality of soils. This will be extremely important in offering chemical-free foods and a better future for generations to come.
Author Biography:
Dr Naveen Kumar Arora, PhD
Microbiology, Associate Professor in Department of Environmental Microbiology,
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (A Central University), Lucknow, Uttar
Pradesh, India is a renowned researcher in the field of Environmental
Microbiology and Biotechnology. His specific area of research is rhizosphere
biology and PGPRs. He has 38 research papers published in premium international
journals and several articles published in magazines and dailies. He is editor
of the book ‘Plant Microbe Symbiosis: Fundamentals and Advances’, published by
Springer. He is member of several national and international societies and
reviewer of several international journals. He has delivered lectures in
conferences and seminars around the globe. He has a long standing interest in
teaching at the PG level and is involved in taking courses in bacteriology,
microbial physiology environmental microbiology, agriculture microbiology and
industrial microbiology. He has been advisor to 57 post graduate and 03
doctoral students. Recently he was awarded for excellence in research by the Honorable
Governor of Uttar Pradesh. Although an academician and researcher by profession
he has a huge obsession for the wildlife and its conservation and has authored
a book, Splendid Wilds. He has a
dedicated website www.naveenarora.co.in for the cause of wildlife and
environment conservation.
Raffaella Balestrini, PhD in Biology and Biotechnology
of Fungi, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection,
CNR. Researches mainly focus on different aspects of plant-symbiotic
fungi interactions (endo and ectomycorrhizae). Researches currently developed,
using molecular and cellular approaches including confocal microscope, in situ hybridization and laser
microdissection (LMD), are: genomics and functional genomics in mycorrhizal
fungi; cellular and molecular interactions between plants and mycorrhizal
fungi, with particular attention to plant and fungal cell wall modifications; plant-mycorrhizal
fungi interactions to improve plant tolerance to abiotic stress; transcriptome
profiles of specific cell types involved in mycorrhizal symbiosis. Involved in
the black truffle Tuber
melanosporum genome project as the
person in charge of the annotation of cell wall-related genes and, thanks to
the experience in gene expression and cell biology studies in mycorrhizal
associations, in post-genomic activities. She has worked with research groups
from national and international institutions in joined research projects, as
mirrored by the several papers in collaboration. She is referee for several
international journals and project proposals. She has 68 publications in
international journals and 6 book chapters to her credit.
Dr Samina
Mehnaz, PhD Microbiology, is a Professor and Chairperson of Department of Biological
Sciences, Forman Christian College (A Chartered University), Lahore, Punjab,
Pakistan. She is a researcher, in the field of Microbiology. Her specific area
of interest is rhizosphere microbiology, specifically PGPRs and their secondary
metabolites. She has 34 research papers published in international journals and
four book chapters (as a single author) published by Springer. Currently, she
is editor of Archives of Phytopathology and Plant Protection (Taylor &
Francis). She is reviewer of several international journals. She is the
continuous winner of research productivity award since 2010, by Pakistan
Council of Science and Technology. She is Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Fellow
(Germany) and National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Fellow
(Canada). She has been advisor to 9 post graduate, 3 doctoral students and one
post doctorate fellow.
