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This book reviews the important role of biotechnological innovations in achieving sustainable development goals and conserving global biodiversity. It presents latest biotechnological techniques used to identify and characterize various groups of plants and animals, such as genomic tools for animal identification, and DNA barcoding for precise plant characterization. It also reviews the utility of proteomics and metabolomics in enhancing our understanding of diverse species. The book also discusses responsible development and sustainable utilization of bioresources, including strategies for conserving and managing bioresources, bioprospecting for novel biodiscoveries, and sustainable agricultural practices to preserve agrobiodiversity. Further, the book addresses the pressing challenges faced by biodiversity, including the far-reaching effects of climate change, the threat posed by invasive species, the consequences of pollution on biodiversity degradation, and the interplay between diseases and biodiversity decline. Toward the end, the book analyzes the impact of environmental degradation on biodiversity and explores emerging technologies in biodiversity conservation, focusing on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The book will interest scientists, researchers, policymakers, environmentalists, academics, and students involved in biotechnology, ecology, genetics, and conservation biology.Key Features: Discusses cutting-edge biotechnological innovations for biodiversity conservation Presents cutting-edge biotechnological techniques for identifying and characterizing selected groups of plants and animals Addresses critical environmental challenges such as climate change, invasive species, and pollution

This open access volume presents the select proceedings of the International Conference on Bio-Based Environment for Sustainable Territory (IC-BEST 2024). It explores innovative bio-based solutions for environmental sustainability.

This book explores the different conventional and biotechnological techniques for enhancing the productivity of industrial crops. The growth of the industrial crop sector has become a widespread global phenomenon that helps rural livelihoods and propels economic development. Contrary to staple crops, industrial crops are cultivated with the intention of being sold for a high profit. Industrial crops are a crucial component of plans to increase food security because they offer the required stability during periods of economic or climatic crises. In order to maintain their livelihood and food security, many farm households balance the advantages and disadvantages of producing food crops and industrial crops. Avoiding land-use rivalry with crops grown for food and feed production is crucial when considering growing industrial crops on agricultural soils. The past several years have seen a rise in the awareness of scholars and decision-makers regarding the immediate and long-term effects of climatic variables on economic, food security, social, and political results. In order to sustain food production with more climate-resilient crops for future generations, genetic variety, both natural and artificial, is crucial. Therefore, addressing the problem of finding a compromise between increasing crop production under a specific set of conditions and reducing the chance of crop failure when conditions change is important and difficult. An assortment of meteorological conditions is used to grow industrial crops. Many are subsistence farmers who run extremely tiny farms with very little agricultural input to produce products that can be sold. It is a significant problem to preserve the variety of these crops and handle all crop culture-related difficulties. By offering the knowledge required to minimize the dangers of industrial crop breeding through managing genetic diversity, the author believe that this book will primarily address a need that has not yet been met in this and other grower groups.

This book delves into the fascinating world of fungal metabolites and their biotechnological potential for sustainable agriculture. Through this book, readers will learn about the production and characterization of metabolites by endophytic and rhizospheric fungi, including filamentous fungi like Trichoderma, Penicillium, and Aspergillus, as well as mycorrhizal fungi and yeasts. The chapters cover topics such as the promotion of plant growth, increased tolerance to abiotic stresses, and biological control through the application of fungal metabolites. Expert contributors provide an in-depth analysis of how these metabolites can be produced in bioreactors or applied directly as agricultural bioinoculants. Particular attention is given to the environmental and health benefits of using fungal metabolites in crop improvement. Researchers in the field of agricultural biotechnology, plant sciences, and environmental sustainability will find this book invaluable. It offers a comprehensive discussion from biological, chemical, and applied perspectives, making it a must-read for anyone interested in advancing sustainable agriculture practices.

Entomopathogenic fungi are economically important fungi from environmental, agricultural, and human health perspectives. They are an alternative to chemical pesticides. They can also be used as biostimulants and biological control agents for mosquitoes and other insects. These fungi are also known to produce a variety of metabolites of industrial significance. They face challenges in the cultivation, fermentation, and purification of products. Their habitats and ecological niches are of special significance for ex situ conservation and the large scale of production of spores.This book reviews molecular aspects of the pathogenesis of entomopathogenic fungi, the development of mycoinsecticides, and its regulatory aspects. It addresses different aspects of entomopathogenic fungi, including host-pathogen interactions (susceptibility and resistance), fungus-insect and fungus-fungus dual interactions, phylogeny and taxonomy, biochemistry, and molecular basis of enteropathogenesis, market potential of entomopathogens, regulatory aspects, bioprospecting of fungi, fungi as crop bodyguards and in disease suppression, and consortia for the control of insect pests and pathogens in single crop systems.

Heavy metals, in general trace elements, are one of the major environmental problems. Nowadays, increasing environmental and global public health concerns related with environmental contamination by heavy metals are well known. Moreover, human exposure has risen dramatically because of an exponential increase of their use in several activities such as agricultural, industrial, technological and urban applications. They are presented in soils, water and atmosphere and they are a serious risk for the food chain.Approximately 10 million contaminated sites have been reported globally, occupying approximately 49.42 million acres of land, of which >50% is contaminated with toxic heavy metals. This situation warrants immediate attention to limit the introduction of heavy metals into soil systems and to remove the prevailing heavy metals from polluted soils. However, the majorities of existing heavy-metal-removal technologies are expensive, inefficient, or generate secondary pollutants. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop cheaper, environmentally friendly and sustainable approaches (including the development of new immobilizing agents) to manage and rehabilitate heavy-metal-contaminated soils. In the light of the aforementioned facts, this book sheds light on this global environmental issue, and proposes solutions to contamination through multi-disciplinary approaches and case studies from different parts of the world. It addresses sustainable heavy metal contamination remediation strategies using the potential applications of recent biological technology such as biotechnology, bioremediation, phytoremediation, biochar, absorbent, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology approaches. This book is of interest to researchers, teachers, environmental scientists, environmental engineers, environmentalists, and policy makers. Also, the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of environmental microbiology, biotechnology, eco-toxicology, environmental remediation, waste management, and environmental sciences as well as the general audience.

This edited book gives an in-depth coverage of various aspects of biotechnological procedures followed by international scientists and researchers to sustain growth and improvement of forests in context of current climatic change. Forests especially trees play a crucial role in maintaining the ecological balance as well as in the functioning of natural ecosystem. More importantly, they contribute to the economic growth of a country through its products such as timber, fuel, pharmaceuticals, fibre for textile industry and edible fruits. The denudation of trees due to urbanisation of towns/cities/villages by various construction activities and industrialisation directly impact the climate change resulting in global warming, short rainfall or erroneous weather currently experienced. This book is an effort to address these problems and attempts to find out solutions using biotechnological approaches. Most of the proposed chapters cover latest information. The proposed book deals with biotechnological aspects of forest trees such as micropropagation, somatic embryogenesis, somaclonal variation, synthetic seeds, cryopreservation, disease amangement and genetic engineering. Further, applications and limitations of these approaches to improve the forest trees are discussed. The book is of relevance to teachers, students and researchers working in area of forest and plant biotechnology globally.

This compendium presents comprehensive information on more than 25 important spice crops commercially grown in India and traded globally, apart from over 40 spices that have the potential to be popularized. In 70 chapters the book covers the achievements in research and development made in India for the past 75 years in various organizations including research institutes, agricultural universities and private sector laboratories. Spices are natural products of plant origin, used primarily for flavouring and seasoning or for adding pungency and flavour to foods and beverages. The flavour and fragrance of Indian spices had a magic spell on human culture since very ancient days. The importance of spices in Indian life and its contribution to the economy are substantial. India, as the world's leading producer of spices is also a significant stakeholder in spices export trade globally. Indian spices being sources of many high value compounds, are also gaining muchimportance for other diversified uses especially for their pharmaceutical and nutraceutical properties. A wide variety of 52 spices are grown in India including black pepper, chillies, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic, onion, cumin, coriander, saffron and vanilla. This book complies a comprehensive, holistic review on the subject, written by the best experts in the field in India representing diverse agencies. This book is a single point reference book for all those involved in the research, study, teaching and use of spices in India and abroad.

This book addressed the pressing challenges of climate change, land scarcity, and food security, offering a comprehensive synthesis of research on using, managing, and reclaiming marginal lands in Africa. Unfavourable climatic conditions and rapid population growth intensify competition for land, putting pressure on traditional agricultural soils thus necessitating a transition towards underutilized marginal lands. Reclaiming these damaged and undervalued areas through various technologies presents a promising path not only to food independence but also to second-generation biofuel feedstock production, utilizing excess biomass from these revived lands. While recent years have seen increased focus on restoring degraded lands, a crucial gap remains i.e. a unified knowledge base detailing the efficacy of various reclamation technologies. This book fills that void, empowering farmers and policymakers with the insights they need to make informed decisions, mobilize resources effectively, and ultimately help Africa meet its projected 60% food demand increase.

The book explores Candida and candidiasis, and Aspergillus and aspergillosis, two significant fungal infectious diseases.In the first section, various aspects of Candida infection are covered. The book delves into the epidemiology of Candida infections, highlighting their prevalence and distribution. It thoroughly discusses diagnostics and pathogenesis of candidiasis, providing valuable insights into the identification, and understanding of the disease. Additionally, the book addresses the growing concern of drug resistance and provides an overview of current therapeutics for candidiasis.Chapters in the second section examine the epidemiology of Aspergillus infections, providing a comprehensive understanding of their occurrence and impact. It discusses the diagnostics and pathogenesis of aspergillosis, shedding light on the methods for accurate diagnosis and the mechanisms by which the infection develops. It explores the host-pathogen interaction and the role of biofilms in these infections. Furthermore, the book addresses the pressing issue of drug resistance in aspergillosis and presents an overview of therapeutic approaches available for managing the disease.This book serves as a valuable resource for researchers, clinicians, and healthcare professionals seeking in-depth knowledge of these fungal infectious diseases.

This proceedings volume constitutes peer-reviewed full-length papers contributed by the Authors and tailored on various thematic areas of the 1st International Conference on Sustainable Advanced Technologies for Environmental Management (SATEM – 2023). The areas of research covered by these papers include but are not limited to: •Sustainable Water Quality Management •Advanced Water Treatment Technologies •Advanced Wastewater Treatment Technologies •Assessment and Control of Air Pollution •Solid and Hazardous Waste Management •Prevention of Groundwater Contamination •Wetland Management/Phyto- and Phyco-remediation •Case Studies in Urban and Rural Pollution Control •Management of Emerging Contaminants •Innovative Techniques for measuring environmental pollutants

This book provides perspectives on the combinatorial approach of plant-based compounds for drug discovery to achieve better disease-curing outcomes introducing the evolution of ethnobotany and traditional medicine in modern drug development. It covers the biotechnological interventions for the identification and screening of compounds and their optimization to enhance affinity, selectivity, bioavailability, and metabolic stability. While overviewing how essential compounds are successfully identified from herbal/ medicinal plants and utilized in the form of effective drugs which eventually have helped in combating long-term diseases in humans, the book also provides a better understanding of how infection and the diseases caused are regulated at the molecular and physiological stages. The book also highlights the importance of bioactive compounds in modern drug discovery and the perspectives for a potential industrial application. The chapters are developed by eminent subject experts with due care and clarity and cover an up-to-date literature review with relevant illustrations. The book would cater to the needs of undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and scientists, and may attract the attention of pharmaceutical companies/industrialists and health policymakers.

The term nutraceuticals is applied to the products isolated from the herbal sources, nutrients or dietary supplements, processed foods, (cereals, soup and beverages) and specific diets, that may also used as medicine other than nutrition. It usually refers to the foods derived products which may sell in medicinal form, possessing physiological benefits to the host while promoting health and wellness and provide protection against chronic disorders. They may also increase the life expectancy, delay the aging and/or support the structure and function of the body organs. Demand for nutraceuticals with potential to prevent and treat chronic disorders has been interestingly increasing over the past few years. Based on food sources, nutraceuticals are classified into dietary fibers, probiotics, prebiotics, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), vitamins, polyphenols and spices. A dietary supplement is generally considered as product containing vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and medicinal plants that are indented to be used to supplement the diet or a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combinations of these ingredients. Broadly, nutraceuticals are any of these ingredients or supplements using for health purposes other than nutrition. This book on the fundamentals of Nutraceuticals is organized in two parts i.e., the introductory aspects of macro- and micro-nutrients, gut microbiota regulation, nutraceuticals and drug interactions, while the second part is focusing on the biological benefits of nutraceuticals in different disease states. Besides, this book is also addressing the safety aspects of nutraceuticals and phytotherapeutic support in pregnancy. Including contributions from the experts in the field, target audience (pharmacists, nutritionists, other healthcare providers, and researchers in food and nutrition sector) will be benefited with the updated literature on nutraceuticals and dietary supplements.

CRISPRized Horticultural Crops: Genome Modified Plants and Microbes in Food and Agriculture summarizes applications of CRISPR/Cas systems and its advanced variants e.g., CRISPR/Cpf1, base editing and prime editing, for precise editing of horticultural crops. The book discusses vector transformations methods, epi-genome, deep learning, synthetic biology, and precision breeding for improving yield and quality related attributes in horticultural crops. With coverage of the relevant technologies and their applications, the book also includes bioinformatics and large-scale databases and their potential application in fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants and sections on regulatory concerns related to CRISPR edited crops. Horticultural crops, including fruit, vegetable and ornamental plants are an important component of agriculture production systems and play an important role in sustaining human life. - Reviews CRISPR for editing horticultural crops - Discusses vector transformation methods, epigenome, deep learning, synthetic biology and precision breeding - Includes bioinformatics and large-scale databases - Contributes engineering approaches for crop improvement programs

This book entitled, The Pearl Millet Genome, is the first comprehensive compilation of deliberations on history, domestication, genetic and genomic resources, traditional breeding, genetic diversity, molecular maps and mapping of important biotic stress as well as nutritional quality traits, whole genome sequencing and comparative genomics, functional genomics, genetic transformation. The economic, nutritional, and health importance of the pearl millet is also discussed. It also presents the input use efficiency and wide adaptation of the crop. Altogether, the book will contain about 200 pages over 10 chapters authored by globally reputed experts on the relevant field in this crop. This book will be useful to the students, teachers, and scientists in the academia and relevant private companies interested in genetics, pathology, molecular genetics and breeding, genetic engineering, structural and functional genomics, and nutritional quality aspects of the crop. This book will also be also useful to seed and pharmaceutical industries.

This book discusses the latest information and advancements on all aspects of sustainable sludge management including treatment, characterization, stabilization, digestion, thickening, dewatering, thermal processing, utilization, valorization production of usable materials, and disposal, with associated pros and cons addressed. It provides an up-to-date resource on industrial sludge generation in various industries, its disposal and treatment by various modern treatment approaches, its physico-chemical and microbiological characterization, as well as legislation, risk assessment, and methodological aspects related to its characterization. Past and recent trends in industrial sludge handling are covered to understand and overcome the environmental risks posed by industrial sludge, with a focus on the brick and agrochemical industries and how to implement sustainable sludge managements practices in these industries. The book is intended for environmental engineers, chemical engineers,soil scientists, and policymakers, and will be of interest to students and researchers of environmental biotechnology, environmental engineering, and chemical engineering.

This edited book is focused on Sustainable Development Goal 2, which aims to achieve'Zero Hunger.'It provides deep insights into the global sorghum status, limitations to its production, advancements in agronomic practices, and the application of high-throughput phenotyping technologies. Sorghum plays a vital role in global food security, agricultural sustainability, and rural livelihoods, making it an important crop for both developing and developed countries. It is a staple food for millions of people around the world, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where other crops may struggle to grow. Sorghum exhibits significant genetic diversity, providing a rich resource for breeding programs aimed at developing improved varieties with traits such as higher yield, disease resistance, and nutritional quality. The book enhances readers'understanding of classical breeding methods and their role in sorghum improvement. It also focuses on the contribution of OMICs and biotechnological approaches to sorghum improvement. Detailed information about the genetic and genomic resources of sorghum provided is helpful for the scientific community to utilize in sorghum breeding. Chapters highlight sorghum genome sequencing, transgenic and hybrid sorghum, and the application of genome editing. This book is useful to the breeding community, serving as a resource for interdisciplinary research groups such as geneticists, breeders, biotechnologists, bioinformaticians, and students, supporting them in accelerating their activities related to sorghum breeding.

This book offers a comprehensive and authoritative review of bioactive substances found in plant underground stems, roots, rhizomes, corms, and tubers from all around the world. Tubers and starchy roots are plants that store edible starch content in underground stems, roots, rhizomes, corms, and tubers. They are a key source for both human and animal consumption and are rich in carbohydrates. They are widely used as industrial crops as well. Phytochemicals found in tubers and roots, such as phenolics, terpenoids, and alkaloids, have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, hypoglycemic, hypocholesterolemic, and antibacterial properties. Except for common potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cassava, the nutritional and health benefits of many tuberous crops have not yet been adequately investigated. This book sheds new insights into these topics by addressing several plant metabolites found in storage organs, which can be seen as scientifically neglected even though they have a high economic relevance as food and pharmaceutical sources. Divided into 6 parts, this book discusses how bioactive chemicals found in plant storage organs are synthesized and how their bioactive principles are specifically expressed in underground stems, roots, rhizomes, corms, and tubers. Additionally, each chapter includes background information on the plant, its parts, its nutritional makeup, chemical components, and biological functions. Given its breadth, the book appeals to a wide readership, from scholars through graduate and post-graduate students to professionals in the industry.

This book explains the lifecycle of earthworms, biological features, multiplication of worms, species of earthworms that are suitable for vermicomposting, different sources of vermicompost, nutrient recovery and different procedures for making of vermicompost and importance of application of vermicompost in cereal, fruit and vegetable crops. The tremendous increase in population, urbanization, industrialization and agricultural production results in accumulation quantities of solid wastes. This has created serious problem in the environment. In order to dispose this waste safely it should be converted effectively. This is achieved by bio-composting and vermicomposting of farm, urban and agro-industrial waste. It is being increasing realized that composting is an environment friendly process, convert wide variety of wastes into valuable agricultural inputs. Compost is excellent source of humus and plant nutrients, on application of which improve soil biophysical properties and organic matter status of the soil. India generates about 350 million tonnes of agricultural waste every year. Agricultural wastes include crop residues, weeds, leaf litter, sawdust, forest waste, and livestock waste. Under appropriate conditions, worms eat agricultural waste and reduce the volume by 40 to 60%. Vermicompost produced by the activity of earthworms is rich in macro and micro-nutrients, vitamins, growth hormones, enzymes such as proteases, amylases, lipase, cellulase and chitinase and immobilized microflora. This book will assist farmers, students and scholars to guide them about lifecycle of earthworms, biological features, multiplication of worms, species of earthworms that are suitable for vermicomposting and different procedures for making of vermicompost. This book will also benefit students of agriculture at graduate and post graduate level as students have a designated course on vermicomposting.

This book focuses on the applications of plant growth promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) in the form of bioinoculants to enhance the crop productivity and resilience against pathogens. Chapters explain the latest findings on development of the bioinoculants utilizing the modern technologies and agri-wastes. It also provides the latest information on methods of improving quality and efficiency of bioformulations and utilization of advanced biotechnological tools for developing precision products. PGPMs play important roles in survival and health of the plant. These useful microorganisms provide plants with nutrients, protect them from pathogens and help in combating abiotic stresses. It is important that these mutualistic interactions between plant and soil microbes are well understood so as to develop reliable products in the form of biostimulants, biopesticides and manage biotic and abiotic stresses in crops. Apart from enhancing crop productivity, plant-microbe interactions can also perform activities such as reclamation of degraded lands, degradation of pollutants and remediation of saline or marginal lands. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, plant scientists and microbiologists. Also, the book serves as an additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, microbiology, ecology, soil science, and environmental sciences.

This edited volume presents recent advancements in genetic transformation and genome editing, offering a comprehensive understanding of their applications for creating more sustainable crops. These innovations are revolutionizing crop development, enhancing yields, and mitigating environmental challenges.The demand for sustainable crop production, driven by a growing global population and mounting environmental challenges, has never been more pressing. Genetic transformation and genome editing techniques offer precise and targeted ways to enhance crop traits, increase yields, and reduce the need for chemical inputs. The book traces the evolution of these technologies, from the early days of genetic modification to the current era of CRISPR-based genome editing. It covers cutting-edge technologies, from CRISPR-Cas9 to advanced gene editing techniques, while discussing the current scenario and future prospects of GM crops developed either by transgenic or genome editing approaches. The book explores the ethical and regulatory aspects surrounding genetic transformation, providing a complete perspective on this evolving domain.It is an essential read for researchers, students, and professionals in the fields of agriculture, plant sciences, biotechnology, agronomy, as well as policymakers.

This book documents the global pearl millet research for achieving the sustainable development goals in the eve of International Year of Millets in 2023 by FAO. This book offers perspectives on the recent advances in the field of genomics, next-generation breeding approaches, hybrid development, crop production and protection technologies of pearl millets. Pearl millet is the world's most important millet grown in the hot, semi-arid ecologies of Asia and Africa with versatile end uses. Of all the world's cereals, pearl millet ranks the sixth most important crop after rice, wheat, maize, barley and sorghum. In the changing climatic condition, it can be pitched as strategic crop for food and nutritional security owing to its ability to survive in harsh ecologies and the higher micro-nutrients grain content. This books focuses on nutritional importance, climate resilience, seed systems, value-addition and market policies to enhance the genetic gain of pearl millets under marginal and favorable ecologies, and way forward for a food and nutrition secure world. It is a useful reading material for researchers and professionals working on small grains, millets and their cultivation and nutrition related aspects.

This book discusses the applications of nanotechnology in clinical microbiology, food microbiology, and green solutions of nanoparticles using microorganisms for a range of benefits. It describes nanotechnology's rapid progress in the development of materials used in industry, medicine, drug delivery, and dentistry. The authors further explore how microbiology and nanotechnology separately have proven to be effective for human health solutions keeping an ecological and environmental balance. Domains covered include environmental microbiology, medical microbiology, food microbiology (to control food spoilage), biosynthesis of nanomaterials using microorganisms, water microbiology, nanofluidic devices for isolation and analysis of individual biomolecules such as DNA that can lead to a new detection scheme for cancer, and various fields such as pharmacy, clinical research, agriculture etc. This book will be essential reading to a wide range of scholars and researchers interestedin microbiology along with nanotechnology applications for efficient solutions to cancer detection, biosensors, vaccines research, agriculture, wastewater management etc.

This book provides technical information on different biological and hybrid wastewater treatment systems for treatment of wastewater and reuse. The contained information helps in tracking their progress of such systems toward practical and field-scale applications. The book also includes strategies to be adopted for minimizing the losses and maximizing the benefits. Additionally, it includes methods for protecting the environment through the application of advanced biological and hybrid wastewater treatment technology. Furthermore, it discusses the crucial parts that science, technology, and innovation play in the formulation, implementation, and administration of wastewater treatment policy. It highlights the challenges that must be overcome to adopt biological and hybrid wastewater treatment infrastructure regulations successfully and provides some answers. It investigates how the biological and hybrid wastewater treatment technology may be used in a wide variety of field's sets apart from other on-the-shelf publications on the market. Also, it delves into the core concepts of biological and hybrid wastewater treatment systems. It explores how these concepts can be modified to fit a variety of contexts and uses. Applications such as managing facilities, dealing with pandemics, urban wastewater treatment and reuse, farming, and other applications are included in this book. This book is helpful to researchers, entrepreneurs, professionals, planners, policymakers, environmental engineers, and others interested in biological and hybrid wastewater treatment system management strategies through the application of breakthroughs in biological and hybrid wastewater treatment technologies. Also, it is useful as a fundamental source of information and state-of-the-art knowledge to graduate students, university faculties, and researchers in the fields of environmental sciences/engineering, biological and chemical sciences, and NGO. It is also useful to entrepreneurs, professionals, and planners in policy and decision making at the local, state, and national levels for many countries.

This book presents the proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Advances in Environmental Sustainability, Energy and Earth Science (AESEE-2024), held on March 14 - 16, in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, India. The conference offers a platform to discuss frontier areas of research and disseminate scientific information in the fields of environmental sustainability, energy and earth science, and it also offers an opportunity to learn and connect with the leading experts from academia, industry, policy makers, scientists and other professionals. These proceedings report on environmental challenges and the latest sustainable solutions by discussing biodiversity, climate action, water resources, biogeochemistry, biotechnology, and perspectives from diverse fields. The book outlines cutting-edge solutions like carbon sequestration strategies, and smart agricultural practices, emphasizing the role of innovation in achieving sustainability goals. Particular attention is given to green technologies and applications of biotechnology for pollution prevention. The inclusion of topics such as Women in Science & Engineering underscores the importance of diversity in environmental research. The book not only outlines scientific advancements but also recognises and celebrates the contributions of underrepresented groups, promoting inclusivity in the pursuit of sustainable solutions for the future. This book has a broad appeal, and students, researchers, professionals and policymakers interested in the fields of environmental sustainability, energy and earth science will find it a valuable account.

This handbook provides a comprehensive review of the latest scientific developments through authoritative, expertly validated overviews in this field. It covers the basic principles, upfront research accomplishments as well as successful industrial applications. Each chapter is written by a domain expert which besides the in-depth review of the topic also outlines an economic outlook and future directions of research of the area. The book is structured in a way that is appropriate for advanced graduate students and professionals in diverse scientific and engineering communities including biocatalysis, genetic engineering, metabolic engineering, and bioprocess technology.

This book covers the latest advances in sustainable waste management and focuses on its implementation to mitigate water and air pollution, recycle and reuse raw material, and refine valuable metals. In this book, readers will learn about organic waste treatment, emerging waste management techniques, and the transformation of waste into value-added products. Particular attention is given to environmental sustainability and how we can better achieve it through innovative and responsible waste management practices. Divided into 10 chapters, the book outlines a wide range of topics such as the sustainable management of food wastes through cavitation-assisted conversion, rapid bioconversion of animal meat waste into compost using black soldier fly larvae, thermoluminescence properties of combustion-synthesized nanomaterials and their applications for achieving Sustainable Development Goals, and the creative reuse of plastic waste with a case study by Ghanaian artists. Expert contributors uncover new methods and approaches to waste management that invite readers to think critically about the current practices and their impact on the environment. In addition to these discussions, the work explores the challenges of environmental health in waste management for peri-urban areas. This book provides a unique blend of theoretical perspectives and practical case studies that will enrich the understanding of sustainable waste management, and it equips readers with the knowledge needed to contribute to a more sustainable future. The book is an invaluable resource for researchers in the field of environmental science, students at all levels studying sustainability and waste management, and practitioners working in industry.

This contributed volume explores the latest breakthroughs in genetic and genomic resources for enhancing biotic stress responses in grain legumes – including minor ones. It covers the advances made to date, including gene identification, transcriptomics, proteomics, transgenics, genome editing, genomic selection, epigenetic breeding, and speed breeding related to different biotic stresses. Authored by crop-specific experts, the chapters in this book are essential resources for those directly involved in improving grain legume crops. Legumes play a vital role in ensuring food and nutritional security, enhancing soil quality, and promoting environmental sustainability. Rich in protein, they are essential in preventing hunger and malnutrition while adding to dietary diversity. However, as these crops are commonly grown in marginal lands with poor inputs, they are highly susceptible to biotic stresses such as diseases and pests, which can cause significant yield losses. This book consolidates all available knowledge about genetic and genomic aspects of biotic stress responses in various grain legumes. It is a must-have resource for all stakeholders involved in grain legume improvement. Whether you are a breeder, pathologist, biotechnologist, seed production specialist, market manager, graduate or post-graduate student, or any other industry professional, this book serves as an excellent guide to help you stay at the forefront of grain legume improvement.

Agricultural residues are a significant waste product of modern agriculture. These residues mainly include crop residues, industrial processing wastes, livestock wastes, and fruit and vegetable wastes and are usually left to decompose, leading to environmental degradation and health hazards. However, with the growing demand for sustainable agriculture practices, there is a need to find innovative ways to utilize these residues. Transforming Agriculture Residues for Sustainable Development: From Waste to Wealth comprehensively explores the potential of agriculture waste valorization, showcasing innovative technologies and applications that meet the challenges of converting waste materials into valuable resources. By addressing various aspects of the agricultural waste-to-wealth paradigm, this invaluable guide will be helpful for researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals seeking sustainable solutions for agricultural residue management and the transition to a more circular economy.

This book sheds light on this global environmental issue and proposes solutions to reduce contamination through multi-disciplinary approaches. Water is considered a vital resource because it is necessary for all aspects of human and ecosystem survival. However, due to natural processes and anthropogenic activities, various pollutants have been added to the groundwater system. Among these, heavy metals are some of the most serious pollutants. Cd, a toxic heavy metal used in Ni-Cd batteries, the coloration of plastic and various discarded electronic products released into the water system causes serious health issues. The chronic exposure to Cd produces a wide variety of acute and chronic effects in humans.This edited book brings together a diverse group of researchers to address the challenges posed by global mass poisoning caused by cadmium contamination of water bodies. This book contains three sections. The first section describes the different sources and distribution of cadmium in water ecosystem. The second section explains the health risks linked to cadmium toxicity. The third section addresses sustainable cadmium toxicity mitigation strategies and the potential applications of recent biological technology in providing solutions.

The crop plants cater not only to our basic F5 (food, feed, fiber, fuel, and furniture) needs but also provide a number of nutraceuticals with potential nutritional, safety and therapeutic properties. Many crop plants provide an array of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidant-rich bioactive phytochemicals. Increasing incidences of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and HIV, and malnutrition necessitate global attention to health and nutrition security with equal emphasis to food security. This compendium compiles results of researches on biochemical, physiological and genetic mechanisms underlying biosynthesis of the health and nutrition related nutraceuticals. It also explores the precise breeding strategies for augmentation of their content and amelioration of their quality in crop plants under all commodity categories including cereals and millets, oilseeds, pulses, fruits and nuts, and vegetables. The compendium comprise 5 sections dedicated to these 5 commodity groups and presents enumeration on the concepts, strategies, tools and techniques of nutraceutomics. These sections include 50 chapters devoted to even number of major crop plants. These chapters present deliberations on the biochemistry and medicinal properties of the nutracuticals contained; genetic variation in their contents; classical genetics and breeding for their quantitative and qualitative improvement; tissue culture and genetic engineering for augmentation of productivity and quality; and sources of genes underlying their biosynthesis. They also include comprehensive enumeration on genetic mapping of the genes and QTLs controlling the contents and profile of the nutraceuticals and molecular breeding for their further improvement through marker assisted selection and backcross breeding tools. Prospects of post-genomic precise breeding strategies including genome-wide association mapping, genomic selection, allele mining, and genome editing are also discussed. This compendium fills the gap in academia, and research and development wings of the private sector industries interested in an array of subjects including genetics, genomics, tissue culture, genetic engineering, molecular breeding, genomics-assisted breeding, bioinformatics, biochemistry, physiology, pathology, entomology, pharmacognosy, IPR, etc., and will also facilitate understanding of the policy making agencies and people in the socio-economic domain and research sponsoring agencies.

Sustainable food production is vital to ensure food and nutritional security to growing human population. Recently, there has been a shift in agricultural production system, crop production is not only considering yield as primary interest to produce higher number of calories for reducing hunger, but also more nutrient-rich food to reduce malnutrition or “hidden hunger”. Micronutrient malnutrition is a continuing and serious public health problem in many countries, various Interventions to alleviate this problem have been implemented. Biofortification, the process of breeding nutrients into food crops, provides a comparatively cost effective, sustainable, and long-term means of delivering more micronutrients. Legumes have higher protein content than most plant foods approximately twice than cereals and are rich in the key micronutrients folate, niacin, thiamine, calcium, iron and zinc. This book summarizes the biofortification of legumes. Detailed information through contributed chapters shed light on legumes research relevant to human health, with key topics that include genomic and genetic resources for food security, conventional and modern breeding approaches for improving nutrition, agronomic traits and biotechnological interventions.

This book provides a concise overview of the Apocynaceae plant family, focusing on its morphology, diversity, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and biological activities. It explores biotechnological advances in large-scale production of therapeutic bioactive compounds and conservation efforts using plant tissue culture. The family Apocynaceae is one of the largest and important families in angiosperm, with several members having medicinal properties used to treat various ailments. Most of them are consumed as food by tribal people, while a few plants are used as a source of poison, insecticides, gum, and many other important products. Members of this family are rich in alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, flavonoids, glycosides, simple phenols, lactones and hydrocarbons. Other compounds such as sterols, lignans, and sugars have also been systematically studied. Extracts and isolated compounds from Apocynaceae members exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities. Notable plants like Holarrhena antidysenterica, Rauvolfia serpentina, Carissa carandas, and Tabernaemontana divaricata have been extensively researched. The family presents a diverse range of bioactive compounds with medicinal and pharmacological properties, holding promise for future applications. The book also covers endophytic microorganisms with their diversity, biological activities in Apocynaceae plants. It also highlights the role of endophytes in conservation of Apocynaceae plants. By identifying existing knowledge gaps, it aims to inspire further research in the field, making it a valuable resource for students and researchers in Life Sciences, agriculture, medicine, and pharmaceutical sciences.

The book is an excellent reference collection of the research conducted by different workers on induced mutagenesis, worldwide, for more than 80 years. One can get almost all mutation breeding references at one place. The book gives a coherent and concise account of all the important and relevant aspects related to induced mutagenesis with an emphasis on recent developments in the field of crop improvement. The references have been arranged crop wise and important topic wise which deal with not only classical mutation breeding but also spontaneous mutations, somaclonal variations, nanoparticles, and relevant modern aspects. The book highlights 22 chapters covering holistic information on almost all important components such as radiosensitivity, chromosomal and morphological abnormalities, detection of mutation, management of chimera, present status of mutation etc.) of Mutation Breeding. Chapters are very informative, and one can follow the references on crop and aspect basis sincethe start of mutation breeding work. This book is an excellent resource for researchers and students for understanding proper applications of induced mutations in crop improvement and biological research. It is of interest and useful to graduate and postgraduate students, horticulturists, floriculturists, agricultural scientists, and breeders related to crop improvement program.

This book is the first comprehensive compilation of current knowledge on mulberry (Morus L.) covering botany, cytogenetics, biodiversity, genetics and breeding, tissue culture and genetic transformation, biotic and abiotic stresses, molecular mapping, QTL identification, whole genome sequencing and elucidation on functional genomics. As mulberry is one of the most economically important trees in Asian countries, it has attracted the attention of both academicians as well as industrialists. Being highly heterozygous due to long juvenile life coupled cross pollination among species, the genetics of this important crop species is yet to be unravelled. Nonetheless, the recent success of sequencing the genomes of haploid and diploid domesticated species has ushered in an era of intense molecular and genetic research to understand this crop well for its better utilization for mankind.In this book, efforts have been made to bring together key information on origin and distribution, taxonomy, morphological features, economic importance, abiotic stress responses, disease and pest resilience, current breeding strategies and their constraints, progress and prospects of gene mapping, elucidation of genes controlling metabolic and physiological pathways, and their utilization in crop improvement which are elaborated in about 250 pages over 13 chapters authored by globally leading experts on the species presented.This book is useful to the sericulture community in the world in general and students, teachers, and scientists in the academia for forage and fruit production, genetics, breeding, pathology, entomology, physiology, molecular genetics, in vitro culture and genetic engineering, and structural and functional genomics. This book is also useful to seed and biofuel industries.

This book is an extensive collection of new research on nanoscience and nanomaterials by experts working in the fields of nanoscience, material science, energy, agriculture, computer science and engineering, atmospheric nanoscience, medicine, and nanobiotechnology.

This edited book provides a comprehensive review of the current agricultural waste disposal techniques focusing on the ongoing research in the production of various agro waste-derived value-added products. Further topic includes the techno-economic aspects in up-scaling the technology from lab scale to commercial/pilot scale. Sustainable waste management and alternative renewable energy sources are the most important requirements in this era of rapid industrialization and urbanization. Agricultural waste, which is one of the major contributors to overall waste production, has the ability to be an essential source of renewable energy and other valuable products. The ongoing research and technical advancements in agro-waste treatment lead to the efficient conversion of waste into different value-added products. This book is of primary interest to academicians, researchers, scientists and engineers working in the field of agro-residue management, and biomass to bio-energy conversion technologies. Also, the book serves as reading material for students of Environmental Engineering/Civil and Environmental Engineering and Agricultural Engineering. Rural Management authorities, Industrial and Government policy-making agencies may also find it useful read.

This edited book is compiled by renowned Horticultural scientist Padma Shri Prof. Brahma Singh and Former Head of Vegetable Science Division, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi Dr Pritam Kalia. The book is mainly focused on two aspects of vegetable crops – nutrition and entrepreneurial potential. The book explains the importance of vegetables crops as essential food items for managing food security and malnutrition. Since vitamins and minerals deficiency is on the increase globally, this book highlights the presence and availability of essential nutrients, vitamins in addition to other food constituents necessary for human health. The book also emphasizes on the potential of vegetables crops as an affordable avenue for entrepreneurial ventures. It explains the important steps in respect of vegetable crops, such as production, harvesting, packaging, transport, storage, marketing of fresh vegetables, processing and value-addition etc. The book chapters are written in simple language with recent scientific developments by the experienced and acknowledged scientists in the field. The book is a useful reading material for curriculum and examination requirements of undergraduate and postgraduate, and other university examinations. It is also of interest to professionals, researchers, policy makers and potential entrepreneurs in the field of vegetable crop farming

This indispensable handbook provides comprehensive coverage of the current state-of-the-art in inorganic, organic, and composite aerogels – from synthesis and characterization to cutting-edge applications and their potential market impact. Built upon Springer's successful Aerogels Handbook published in 2011, this handbook features extensive revisions and timely updates, reflecting the changes in this fast-growing field. Aerogels are the lightest solids known to man. Up to 1000 times lighter than glass and with a density only four times that of air, they possess extraordinarily high thermal, electrical, and acoustic insulation properties, and boast numerous entries in Guinness World Records. Originally based on silica, R&D efforts have extended this class of materials to incorporate non-silicate inorganic oxides, natural and synthetic organic polymers, carbon, metal, and ceramic materials. Composite systems involving polymer-crosslinked aerogels and interpenetrating hybrid networks have been developed and exhibit remarkable mechanical strength and flexibility. Even more exotic aerogels based on clays, chalcogenides, phosphides, quantum dots, and biopolymers such as chitosan are opening new applications for the construction, transportation, energy, defense and healthcare industries. Applications in electronics, chemistry, mechanics, engineering, energy production and storage, sensors, medicine, nanotechnology, military and aerospace, oil and gas recovery, thermal insulation, and household uses are being developed.Readers of this fully updated and expanded edition will find an exhaustive source for all aerogel materials known today, their fabrication, upscaling aspects, physical and chemical properties, and the most recent advances towards applications and commercial use. This key reference is essential reading for a combined audience of graduate students, academic researchers, and industry professionals.

Arsenic contamination in drinking water and associated adverse outcomes is one of the major health issues in more than 50 countries worldwide. The scenario is getting even more detrimental with increasing number of affected people and newer sites reported from all over the world. Apart from drinking water, the presence of arsenic has been found in various other dietary sources. Threatening the health of millions of people due to arsenic's toxicity and carcinogenicity, the major routes of arsenic exposure for humans are either through drinking water or crops. This edited volume brings together a diverse group of environmental science, sustainability, and health researchers to address the challenges posed by global mass poisoning caused by arsenic water contamination. The book sheds light on this global environmental issue and proposes solutions to aquatic contamination through multi-disciplinary sustainable approaches and case studies from different parts of world. This book addresses the problem of arsenic by pursuing a holistic approach. It presents the status quo in different parts of the world and provides essential information on food-related arsenic exposure risks for humans and possible preventive and curative measures for tackling arsenic poisoning. The mechanisms of arsenic uptake, translocation, and distribution in plants and grains are also explained. In closing, the book reviews a variety of prospective sustainable solutions to the problem of arsenic accumulation in soil and water.The book comprises three sections. First section describes the routes of exposure to environmental arsenic and its transport in soil and aquatic ecosystems including its source and distribution in specific locations. Second section explains the health risks linked to arsenic exposure in food and the environment. Third section addresses sustainable arsenic contamination mitigation strategies using the potential applications of recent biotechnological techniques, bioremediation, phytoremediation, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and in silico approaches.The book is intended for a broad audience including researchers, scientists, and readers with diverse backgrounds including agriculture, environmental science, food science, environmental management, and human health. It can also be used as an important reference guide for undergraduate and graduate students, university faculties, and environmentalists. The book may serve as a reference to environment and sustainability researchers, students, and policy makers.

Mulberry (Morus spp.) is widely distributed tree taxon found almost in every continent across the globe. Habitat of this plant species is very much diversified, as it is found across all climatic zones ranging from tropical, sub-tropical, temperate, tundra, semi-arid to desert (arid) conditions. It flourishes on all types of landforms; mountains, valleys, plateaus, forests, grasslands, hills, plains and arid lands. Successful utilization of mulberry leaf for silkworm rearing and production of quality cocoons has been studied at length. Now, mulberry is being recognized as a multipurpose plant by most of the countries across the globe. As mulberry is eco-friendly in nature, the propagation of mulberry needs to be done at large scale to address the ecological issues like conversion of arid lands to cultivable lands, eco-restoration of degraded lands, bioremediation of polluted land sites, conservation of water and soil, cleaning the air pollution in urban areas, utilization of mulberry in producing renewable energy in the form of biodiesel. Similarly, there is the need to produce the identified and highly commercially valued pharmaceutical compounds of mulberry under laboratory conditions through in vitro culture based secondary metabolite production through enhanced expression under the stress conditions or in presence of elicitors.Lately protocols have been developed for genetic transformation of mulberry through agrobacterium mediated and particle bombardment mediated gene transfer techniques. Biotechnology based molecular breeding techniques could also be utilized in raising the improved lines through marker assisted selection, soma clonal variations, mutational breeding, somatic hybridization, genome editing and other genetic engineering approaches. Apart from sericulture; mulberry should also be utilized and exploited in other sectors across the globe for additional revenue generation, for livestock maintenance, for environmental safety and in promoting human health.These diversified aspects of mulberry coupled with its economic importance in revenue generation through sericulture, animal husbandry and industrial products has prompted us to prepare this book. It will present a comprehensive account of mulberry plant under 9 chapter headings: introduction, botanical features, ecological features, ecophysiological aspects, interactions and development, molecular aspects, propagation and production, economic importance, and global perspectives as well as future approaches.

“This book, divided into two volumes, originates from Techno-Societal 2022: the 4th International Conference on Advanced Technologies for Societal Applications, Maharashtra, India. The conference brings together faculty members from various engineering colleges to solve relevant regional problems in India, under the guidance of eminent researchers from various reputed organizations.The focus of Volume - I is on technologies that help develop and improve society, with particular emphasis on sensor and ICT-based technologies for the betterment of people, technologies for agriculture and healthcare, micro and nano technological applications, as well as Artificial Intelligence and Big Data.Volume - II delves into commercially successful rural and agricultural technologies, engineering for rural development, ICT-based societal applications, manufacturing and fabrication processes for societal applications, material science & composites, and sensor, image,and data-driven societal technologies.This conference aims to provide a platform for innovators to share their best practices or products developed to solve specific local problems, which in turn may inspire other researchers to solve similar problems in their regions. Additionally, technologies proposed by expert researchers may find applications in different regions, making it a multidisciplinary platform for reporting innovations at different levels in Science, Engineering, and Technology.”

This book highlights the recent progress on the applications of mutation breeding technology in crop plants. Plant breeders and agriculturists are faced with the new challenges of climate change, human population growth, and dwindling arable land and water resources which threaten to sustain food production worldwide. Genetic variation is the basis which plant breeders require to produce new and improved cultivars. The understanding of mutation induction and exploring its applications has paved the way for enhancing genetic variability for various plant and agronomic characters, and led to advances in gene discovery for various traits. Induced mutagenesis has played a significant role in crop improvement and currently, the technology has resulted in the development and release of more than 3600 mutant varieties in most of the crop plants with great economic impact. The field of ‘mutation breeding'has come long way to become an important approach for crop improvement. This book covers various methodologies of mutation induction, screening of mutants, genome editing and genomics advances and mutant gene discovery. The book further discusses success stories in different countries and applications of mutation breeding in food crops, horticultural plants and plantation crops.This informative book is very useful to plant breeders, students and researchers in the field of agriculture, plant sciences, food science and genetics.

This book captures how industrial crops can be used in conventional agriculture and greener biopharming for pharmaceutical industries. Pharmaceuticals and industrial compounds are studied from the perspective of their co-existence with plant resources and byproducts. Such plant-based industrial products rely on scientific and technological breakthroughs and provide new opportunities for the agricultural sector, at the same time mitigate the risks associated with climate change. The management of the externalities and of the possible unintended economic effects that arise in this context is critical and poses difficult questions for regulators. The book also provides a review of the emerging agro-industrial biomass technology involved in conversion of most of the solid transgenic industrial crops by products such as plant oil lignocellulosic materials into liquid biobased energy-fuels. The book covers how innovative biotechnology can expand the markets for agricultural producers worldwide, reduce environmental degradation, and provide alternatives to fossil carbon-derived products and energy. Aspects of entrepreneurial biotechnology and bioprospecting are also covered.

With the erratic changes in climate, crop plants are facing many forms of biotic stresses. When plants are under stress, among several gene families, regulatory genes play a vital role in signal transduction in modulating the expression of genes underpinning several defense pathways and targeting regulatory proteins (viz, transcription factors (TFs)) can be the alternative. Transcription factors directly regulate the downstream R genes and are excellent candidates for disease resistance breeding. Till date, numerous transcription factors have been identified and characterized structurally and functionally. Of them, TF families such as WRKY, NAC, Whirly, Apetala2 (AP2), ethylene responsive elements (ERF) etc. are found to be associated with transcriptional reprogramming of plant defense response. These TFs are responsive to the pathogen's PAMPs/DAMPs - host's PRR protein interactions and specifically binds to the cis-elements of defense genes and regulate their expression. With this background, realizing the importance of TFs in resistance breeding, this book discusses the recent research and developments in this field for various crops.

This book discusses the research progress on pathology, entomology, nematology, and resource management of wheat and barley crops. The volume summarizes the research progress and discusses the future perspectives based on current understanding of the existing issues and advancing cutting-edge technologies in the field. The book aims to help in deciding future research and development agenda by devising better strategies and techniques to cultivate these crops under clean and sustainable environment. Through this book an international group of leading wheat and barley researchers unveil the emerging concepts and issues related to biotic stresses and resource management and offers latest glimpses of technological needs and resource optimization in wheat and barley production system. Also, key topics such as frontier mechanization technologies, improved precision farming techniques, pluralistic extension and policy interventions for enhancing the resource efficiency and livelihood security of the farmers are explored here. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, molecular breeders, cereal biochemists and biotechnologists, policymakers and professionals working in the area of wheat and barley research, food and cereal industry. Also, the book serves as an additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture and food sciences. National and international agricultural scientists, policy makers will also find this book to be a useful read.Volume 1 of New Horizons in Wheat and Barley Research covers global trends, breeding and quality enhancement.

The issue and finding the green solution of Solid Waste Management are important challenges throughout the world. This book explores cutting edge developments in Circular Economy and Sustainability on Solid Waste Management, current research perspectives, existing problems on solid waste management system, industrial development and the latest green methodology for in Solid Waste conversion and regenerate products and materials, environmental solutions, social awareness and development on solid waste management and the future perspectives of Circular Economy for industrial revolution 4.0 with the mission of green chemistry and engineering on solid waste management. It focuses on chapters from different researchers, faculty members, scientists and engineers, industrialist and experts from different countries working on the Circular Economy on Solid Waste Management. It also features the importance of integration of multi-disciplinary research fields on Circular Economy for Sustainable Development. It provides latest development in and current research perspectives, technology development, and critical thinking and societal requirements and development on Circular Economy of Solid Waste Management to researchers, scientists, engineers, environmental managers, policy makers, and Experts of Energy Division of Government and Private Organization and Industries.^

Nanomaterials in the Battle Against Pathogens and Disease Vectors presents an overview of the use of nanotechnology to mitigate pathogens of concern, and is the first book to discuss applications of nanotechnology in the fight against all three major domains of disease-causing pathogens. Bacteria, viruses, and parasites constitute the list of emerging and re-emerging pathogens of high priority. Nanotechnology has proven to be a groundbreaking success in the elimination, targeted toxicity, precise immunogenicity, diagnosis, and imaging of these major pathogens and disease vectors. This text discusses basic concepts and advanced applications for bacteria, viruses, and parasites. It describes the use of metallic and non-metallic nanoparticles and nanotoxicity, as well as presents future applications of nanotechnology in biological applications. This work is ideal for engineers and scientists across the interdisciplinary fields of materials science, biomedical engineering, biotechnology, and others concerned with mitigating the risk and effect of pathogens.

This edited book focuses on the application and implementation of bioremediation and other strategies to create a sustainable and healthy environment. It provides a collection of approaches to environmental biotechnology for wastewater treatment, removal of soil heavy metals, degradation of pesticides, removal of dyes, waste management, and microbial conversion of environmental pollutants. This book brings to the fore contributions of certain globally important environmental biotechnologist. Bioremediation is a popular branch of biotechnology that involves the use of living organisms such as microorganisms (microbial remediation), bacteria, fungus (mycoremediation), and plants (phytoremediation) to bind, extract, and clean up contaminants, pollutants, and toxins from soil, groundwater, and other environments. This book is of interest to researchers, scientists, and academic faculty in environmental sciences. Also, it serves as additional reading and reference material for undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdocs in environmental, agriculture, ecology, and soil sciences. National and International policy makers will also find valuable information from this book.

This book presents deliberations on molecular and genomic mechanisms underlying the interactions of crop plants to the abiotic stresses caused by heat, cold, drought, flooding, submergence, salinity, acidity, etc., important to develop resistant crop varieties. Knowledge on the advanced genetic and genomic crop improvement strategies including molecular breeding, transgenics, genomic-assisted breeding, and the recently emerging genome editing for developing resistant varieties in pulse crops is imperative for addressing FHNEE (food, health, nutrition, energy, and environment) security. Whole genome sequencing of these crops followed by genotyping-by-sequencing has provided precise information regarding the genes conferring resistance useful for gene discovery, allele mining, and shuttle breeding which in turn opened up the scope for'designing'crop genomes with resistance to abiotic stresses. The nine chapters each dedicated to a pulse crop in this volume elucidate on different types of abiotic stresses and their effects on and interaction with the crop; enumerate on the available genetic diversity with regard to abiotic stress resistance among available cultivars; illuminate on the potential gene pools for utilization in interspecific gene transfer; present brief on classical genetics of stress resistance and traditional breeding for transferring them to their cultivated counterparts; depict the success stories of genetic engineering for developing abiotic stress-resistant crop varieties; discuss on molecular mapping of genes and QTLs underlying stress resistance and their marker-assisted introgression into elite varieties; enunciate on different genomics-aided techniques including genomic selection, allele mining, gene discovery, and gene pyramiding for developing adaptive crop varieties with higher quantity and quality of yields, and also elaborate some case studies on genome editing focusing on specific genes for generating abiotic stress-resistant crops.