Microbial Products for Health, Environment and Agriculture

This edited volume discusses the role of various microbial products in healthcare, environment and agriculture. Several microbial products are directly involved in solving major health problems, agricultural and environmental issues. In healthcare sector, microbes are used as anti-tumor compounds, antibiotics, anti-parasitic agents, enzyme inhibitors and immunosuppressive agents. Microbial products are also used to degrade xenobiotic compounds and bio-surfactants, for biodegradation process. In agriculture, microbial products are used to enhance nutrient uptake, to promote plant growth, or to control plant diseases. The book presents several such applications of microbes in the ecosystems. The chapters are contributed from across the globe and contain up-to-date information. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, microbiologists and ecologists. Also the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, forestry, ecology, soil science, and environmental sciences.

Dr. Pankaj Kumar Arora is currently an Assistant Professor and DBT-Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellow at the Department of Environmental Microbiology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow, India. Dr. Arora is also an Editorial Board Member for the journal Scientific Reports, an Associate Editor for the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, and an Academic Editor for PLOS ONE. He is the recipient of several national awards and fellowships including a Young Botanist Award and Dr. Y. S. Murty Medal from the Indian Botanical Society. His major focus area is environmental microbiology, and is currently investigating the biodegradation and bioremediation of various xenobiotic compounds including nitrophenols, chlorinated nitrophenols and indole. He has published a total of 40 papers in reputed journals, three edited books and has nine years of teaching and research experience at national and international institutes.