Sustainable Development and Biodiversity

Volume 27

Series Editor Kishan Gopal Ramawat Botany Department, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, India Sustainable Development Goals are best achieved by mechanisms such as research, innovation, and knowledge sharing. This book series aims to help researchers by reporting recent progress and providing complete, comprehensive, and broad subject-based reviews about all aspects of sustainable development and ecological biodiversity. The series explores linkages of biodiversity with delivery of various ecosystem services and it offers a discourse in understanding the biotic and abiotic interactions, ecosystem dynamics, biological invasion, ecological restoration and remediation, diversity of habitats and conservation strategies. It is a broad scoped collection of volumes, addressing relationship between ecosystem processes and biodiversity. It aims to support the global efforts towards achieving sustainable development goals by enriching the scientiﬁc literature. The books in the series brings out the latest reading material for botanists, environmentalists, marine biologists, conservationists, policy makers and NGOs working for environment protection. We welcome volumes on the themes – Agroecosystems, Agroforestry, Biodiversity, Biodiversity conservation, Conser- vation of ecosystem, Ecosystem, Endangered species, Forest conservation, Genetic diversity, Global climate change, Hotspots, Impact assessment, Invasive species, Livelihood of people, Plant biotechnology, Plant resource utilization, Sustainability of the environment, Sustainable management of forests, Sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and plants, Traditional methods, Urban horticulture.

More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11920 Ajar Nath Yadav Editor

Soil Microbiomes for Sustainable Agriculture Functional Annotation Editor Ajar Nath Yadav Department of Biotechnology Eternal University Baru Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India

ISSN 2352-474X ISSN 2352-4758 (electronic) Sustainable Development and Biodiversity ISBN 978-3-030-73506-7 ISBN 978-3-030-73507-4 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73507-4

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Foreword by Davinder Singh

Microbes are ubiquitous in the environment and can survive in most habitats. They play a major role in the ecosystem and are even excellent for plant growth promotion for agro-environmental sustainability. It is expected that the fast-growing world popu- lation will make food security a big issue in the future. Agricultural sustainability is facing to be a formidable task by using chemical-based fertilizers and pesticides in order to increase the yield of the crop plants. To fulfill the increasing demand of food supply with the problems like shrinking farmlands, and global warming is one of the major challenges. The soil microbiome has found diverse and complex habitats, which consist of billions of bacteria, fungi, and other living organisms. Beneficial microbes play an essential role in nutrient cycling and plant shielding from destructive effects of biotic and abiotic stresses. Intensive farming practices lead to an increase in crop production, but they also have detrimental effects on the biological and physiological properties of soils. The macronutrients for plant growth are generally provided via chemical fertilizers. In comparison to chemical and synthetic fertilizers, biofertilizers and biopesticides improve plant growth and crop productivity in an eco-friendly way. Along with plant growth promotion, beneficial microbes

v vi Foreword by Davinder Singh could be used for mitigation of diverse abiotic stresses using diverse plant growth- promoting mechanisms such as fixation of atmospheric nitrogen, solubilization of macronutrients (phosphorus, potassium, and zinc) and micronutrients (magnesium, selenium), production of ACC deaminase, antagonistic substances, plant growth hormones (auxin, cytokinin, and gibberellins), and siderophores (iron chelators). Thus, using beneficial soil microbiomes for sustainable agriculture is gaining vast attention worldwide. I recommend this book to researchers and students working on the emerging and fascinating field of microbiology, biotechnology, and related subjects. The book will advance the knowledge to a greater extent in these areas with significant broader research on soil microbial communities and their biotechnological role for agricultural sustainability. The editor of this book deserves credit for such a splendid and innovative contribution to microbiology research.

Dr. Davinder Singh Vice Chancellor Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India Foreword by Amrik Singh Ahluwalia

Microbes are the hidden wonders of the planet Earth that stuns humans with their diversity, habitats, and functional capabilities. Archaea, bacteria, and fungi are the three major microbial domains that comprise millions of microbes that are present in various habitats like soil, water, air, plant, and animal externals and irrefutably play various roles. Among all habitats, the soil is the one habitat that is known to comprise a large portion of microbial diversity and these microbes are believed to play a large number of ecosystem processes. Nitrogen ﬁxation, carbon cycling, phosphorus cycling, weathering of rocks, decomposition of dead, and decay matter are some of the roles that soil microbes play in the ecosystem. The functional annotation of microbes could be advantageous to many sectors including the agriculture environment and industry. Nowadays, plant growth-promoting microbes as biofertilizers and biopesticides are known as the sustainable input that enhances crop productivity and soil fertility. Soil microbes undergo different mechanisms to improve crop productivity like solubilization of micro- and macronutrients, ﬁxation of nitrogen, chelation, and mitigation of biotic and abiotic stress.

vii viii Foreword by Amrik Singh Ahluwalia

The present book Soil Microbiomes for Sustainable Agriculture: Functional Anno- tation is to provide the recent advances in mechanisms of plant growth promotion and applications of soil microbiomes for mitigation of different abiotic stresses in plants. The proposed book encompasses current knowledge of soil microbiomes and their potential biotechnological applications for plant growth, crop yield, and soil health under the natural as well as harsh environmental conditions for sustainable agriculture. The book volume comprises 19 chapters. The Chap. 1 by Bose et al. describes the soil microbiomes, their beneﬁcial attributes of the plant growth promotion, and potential applications in agriculture, whereas Mokrani and Nabti highlight diverse soil microbial communities from different crops and their roles for crop productivity in Chap. 2. Chapter 3 by Boroujeni et al. describes soil microbes with multifarious plant growth-promoting attributes for enhanced production of food crops. Chapter 4 by Emami-Karvani and Chitsaz-Esfahani highlights the mechanisms, recent advancement, and future challenge of phosphorus solubilizing microbiomes. Berde et al. describe potassium solubilization, its mechanism, and functional impact on plant growth in Chap. 5. In Chap. 6, Kumar et al. have given the details about soil microbiomes with siderophores production and zinc solubilizing attributes for cereals biofortiﬁcation. Jatav et al. highlights the diverse soil microbes for plant growth promotion and mitigation of abiotic stress of drought in Chap. 7. In Chap. 8, Maitra et al. describe the current status and future outlook of mitigation of heat stress by thermotolerant soil microbes. Mukhtar et al. highlight the potential applications of halophilic soil microbes for the mitigation of salt stress in Chap. 9. Jha et al. explain the role of psychrotrophic soil microbes in the alleviation of cold stress in plants in Chap. 10. Mitigation strategies for abiotic stress tolerance in plants through stress-tolerant PGP microbes have been described by Dhevagi et al. in Chap. 11. Chapter 12 by Maitra et al. describes the omics strategies for abiotic stress responses and microbe-mediated mitigation in plants. Zia et al. highlight the technical challenges and emerging solutions for enhancing food crops using plant probiotics in Chap. 13. Salimi and Hamedi highlight the soil microbes as biofertilizers for agricultural productivity in Chap. 14 and soil microbes as biopesticides for agricultural sustainability in Chap. 15. Mycorrhiza as a plant growth-promoting and biocontrol agent for crops growing under the stress condition is discussed in Chap. 16 by Hussain et al. Thakur et al. highlights entomopathogenic soil microbes for sustainable crop protection in Chap. 17. Subrahmanyam et al. explain global scenario of soil microbiome research in Chap. 18. Finally, the conclusion and future prospects of functional annotation and biotechnological applications of soil microbiomes have been described by the editor and co-authors in the last chapter. Foreword by Amrik Singh Ahluwalia ix

Overall, great efforts have been carried out by Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav, his reviewer team, and scientists from different countries to compile this book as a highly unique and up-to-date source on soil microbiome for sustainable agriculture for the students, researchers, scientists, and academicians. I hope that the readers will ﬁnd this book highly useful and interesting during their pursuit of microbiology and related subjects.

Prof. Amrik Singh Ahluwalia Pro-Vice Chancellor Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India Preface

The microbes are ubiquitous in nature. The soil is a natural hotspot of the soil microbiome. The soil microbiome plays a critical role in the maintenance of global nutrient balance and ecosystem functioning. The soil microbiomes are associated with plant ecosystems through the intense network of plant–microbe interactions. The microbes present in bulk soil move toward the rhizospheric region due to the release of different nutrients by plant systems. The rhizospheric microbes may survive or proliferate in the rhizospheric zone depending on the extent of inﬂuences of the chemicals secreted into the soil by roots. The root exudates contain the principal nutrients factors (amino acids, glucose, fructose, and sucrose). The microbes present in the rhizospheric region have the capabilities to ﬁx atmospheric nitrogen, produce different phyto- hormones, and solubilize phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. The plant systems take these nutrients for their growth and development. These soil- and plant-associated microbes also play an important role in the protection of plants from different plant pathogenic organisms by producing a wide range of secondary metabolites such as ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, siderophores, and hydrolytic enzymes. The soil microbiomes with plant growth-promoting (PGP) attributes have emerged as an important and promising tool for sustainable agriculture. The soil microbiomes promote plant growth, enhance crop yield and soil fertility via different direct or indirect plant growth-promoting mechanisms. The soil microbes help the plant for adaptation in extreme habitats by mitigating the abiotic stress of high/low temperatures, hyper- salinity, drought, and acidic/alkaline soil. These PGP microbes could be used as biofertilizers/bioinoculants to replace the harmful chemical fertilizers for sustainable agriculture and environments. The aim of volume Soil Microbiomes for Sustainable Agriculture: Functional Annotation is to provide the recent advances in mechanisms of plant growth promotion and applications of soil microbiomes for mitigation of different abiotic stresses in plants. The proposed book encompasses current knowledge of soil microbiomes and their potential biotechnological applications for plant growth, crop yield, and soil health under the natural as well as harsh environmental conditions for sustainable

xi xii Preface agriculture. The book will be useful to scientists, researchers, and students related to microbiology, biotechnology, agriculture, molecular biology, environmental biology, and related subjects.

Baru Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India Ajar Nath Yadav Contents

1 Plant Growth-Promoting Soil Microbiomes: Beneficial Attributes and Potential Applications ...... 1 Pragya Tiwari, Subir Kumar Bose, and Hanhong Bae 2 Microbes Associated with Crops: Functional Attributes for Crop Productivity ...... 31 Slimane Mokrani and El-hafid Nabti 3 Soil Microbes with Multifarious Plant Growth Promoting Attributes for Enhanced Production of Food Crops ...... 55 Yasaman Kiani Boroujeni, Vahid Nikoubin Boroujeni, Ali Asghar Rastegari, Neelam Yadav, and Ajar Nath Yadav 4 Phosphorus Solubilization: Mechanisms, Recent Advancement and Future Challenge ...... 85 Zarrindokht Emami-Karvani and Zahra Chitsaz-Esfahani 5 Potassium Solubilization: Mechanism and Functional Impact on Plant Growth ...... 133 Chanda Vikrant Berde, Sonal Suresh Gawde, and Vikrant Balkrishna Berde 6 Fe Chelation and Zinc Solubilization: A Promising Approach for Cereals Biofortification ...... 149 Upendra Kumar, Priyanka, Rashmi Malik, Prexha, Yogita, and Kamla Malik 7 Soil Microbes in Plant Growth Promotion and for Mitigation of Abiotic Stress of Drought ...... 175 Surendra Singh Jatav, Manoj Parihar, Abhik Patra, Satish Kumar Singh, Manoj Kumar Chitara, Kiran Kumar Mohapatra, and Kiran Rana

xiii xiv Contents

8 Thermotolerant Soil Microbes and Their Role in Mitigation of Heat Stress in Plants ...... 203 Sagar Maitra, Biswajit Pramanick, Prithwiraj Dey, Preetha Bhadra, Tanmoy Shankar, and Kumar Anand 9 Microbiomes of Hypersaline Soils and Their Role in Mitigation of Salt Stress ...... 243 Salma Mukhtar, Dalaq Aiysha, Samina Mehnaz, and Kauser Abdulla Malik 10 Psychrotrophic Soil Microbes and Their Role in Alleviation of Cold Stress in Plants ...... 267 Yachana Jha, Anjali Kulkarni, and R. B. Subramanian 11 Strategies for Abiotic Stress Management in Plants Through Soil Rhizobacteria ...... 287 Vinay Kumar, Balram Sahu, Deep Chandra Suyal, P. Karthika, Manali Singh, Dipti Singh, Saurabh Kumar, Ajar Nath Yadav, and Ravindra Soni 12 The Omics Strategies for Abiotic Stress Responses and Microbe-Mediated Mitigation in Plants ...... 315 Sagar Maitra, Preetha Bhadra, Ajar Nath Yadav, Jnana Bharati Palai, Jagadish Jena, and Tanmoy Shankar 13 Plant Probiotics: Technical Challenges and Emerging Solutions for Enhancing Food Crops ...... 379 Ramna Zia, Malik Nawaz Shuja, Muhammad Ali, and Muhammad Sohail Afzal 14 Biofertilizers: Microbes for Agricultural Productivity ...... 407 Fatemeh Salimi and Javad Hamedi 15 Biopesticides: Microbes for Agricultural Sustainability ...... 471 Fatemeh Salimi and Javad Hamedi 16 Mycorrhiza: Plant Growth-Promoting and Biocontrol Agent Ability Under the Abiotic Stress Conditions ...... 503 Tayyaba Hussain, Muhammad Usmaan, Muhammad Numan, Aamir Abdullah Khan, Faiza Abbas, and Alvina Gul 17 Entomopathogenic Soil Microbes for Sustainable Crop Protection ...... 529 Neelam Thakur, Preety Tomar, Simranjeet Kaur, Samiksha Jhamta, Rajesh Thakur, and Ajar Nath Yadav Contents xv

18 Global Scenario of Soil Microbiome Research: Current Trends and Future Prospects ...... 573 Gangavarapu Subrahmanyam, Amit Kumar, Reeta Luikham, Jalaja S. Kumar, and Ajar Nath Yadav 19 Functional Annotation and Biotechnological Applications of Soil Microbiomes: Current Research and Future Challenges .... 605 Ajar Nath Yadav, Tanvir Kaur, Divjot Kour, Rubee Devi, Geetika Guleria, Rajeshwari Negi, Ashok Yadav, and Amrik Singh Ahluwalia Editor and Contributors

About the Editor

Ajar Nath Yadav is an Assistant Professor (Senior Scale) and Assistant Controller of Examinations at Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India. He has 8 years of teaching and 12 years of research experience in the ﬁeld of Microbial Biotechnology, Microbial Diversity, and Plant-Microbe-Interactions. He obtained a doctorate in Microbial Biotechnology, jointly from IARI, New Delhi, and BIT, Mesra, Ranchi, India; M.Sc. (Biotechnology) from Bundelk- hand University and B.Sc. (CBZ) from the University of Allahabad, India. He has 250 publications, with an h-index of 58, i10-index of 160, and 9050 citations (Google Scholar- on 06/06/2021), and 112 research communications in different national and international conferences. He is the editor of 18 Springer-Nature, 7 Taylor & Francis, 2 Elsevier, and 1 Wiley book. In his credit, one granted patent “Insecticidal formu- lation of novel strain of Bacillus thuringiensis AK 47”. He has got 12 Best Paper Presentation Awards and 1 Young Scientist Award (NASI-Swarna Jayanti Puraskar). He received the “Outstanding Teacher Award” in the 6th Annual Convocation 2018 by Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Himachal Pradesh. He has a long-standing interest in teaching at the UG, PG, and Ph.D. levels and is involved in taking courses in microbiology and microbial biotechnology. He is currently handling two projects, one funded by the Department of Environments, Science & Technology (DEST), Shimla, and one by the HP Council for Science, Technology &

xvii xviii Editor and Contributors

Environment (HIMCOSTE). He has guided two Ph.D. candidates and one M.Sc. scholar, and presently, he is guiding four scholars for Ph.D. degree and one M.Sc. In his credit, ~6700 microbes (Archaea, bacteria, and fungi) are isolated from diverse sources, and ~550 potential and efficient microbes are deposited at the culture collection ICAR-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms (NBAIM), Mau, India. He has deposited 2423 nucleotide sequences and 3 whole- genome sequences (Bacillus thuringiensis AKS47, Arthrobacter agilis L77, and Halolamina pelagica CDK2) and 2 transcriptomes to NCBI GenBank databases: in the public domain. The niche-specific microbes from extreme environments were reported as specific bioinoculants (Biofertilizers) for crops growing in normal and diverse abiotic stress conditions. He and his group have developed technology for screening archaea for phosphorus solubilization for the first time. He is the editor-in-chief for “Journal of Applied Biology and Biotechnology”. He has been serving as an editor/editorial board member and a reviewer for 49 different national and international peer-reviewed journals. He has lifetime membership in the Associa- tion of Microbiologist in India and the Indian Science Congress Council, India. Please visit https://sites.goo gle.com/view/ajarnathyadav/ for more details.

Contributors

Faiza Abbas Department of Biochemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan Muhammad Sohail Afzal Department of Life Sciences, School of Science, University of Management and Technology (UMT), Johar Town, Lahore, Pakistan Amrik Singh Ahluwalia Department of Botany, Akal College of Basic Sciences, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, India Dalaq Aiysha Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan Muhammad Ali Department of Life Sciences, School of Science, University of Management and Technology (UMT), Johar Town, Lahore, Pakistan Kumar Anand Department of Biotechnology, Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribag, India Editor and Contributors xix

Hanhong Bae Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea Chanda Vikrant Berde Marine Microbiology, School of Earth, Ocean and Atmo- sphere Sciences (SEOAS), Goa University, Taleigao Plateau, Goa, India Vikrant Balkrishna Berde Department of Zoology, Arts, Commerce and Science College, Lanja, Maharashtra, India Preetha Bhadra Department of Biotechnology, M.S. Swaminathan School of Agri- culture, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi, Odisha, India Vahid Nikoubin Boroujeni Department of Microbiology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Yasaman Kiani Boroujeni Department of Molecular and Cell Biochemistry, Falavarjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran Subir Kumar Bose Department of Agriculture Science, Himalayan Garhwal University, Pokhara, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India Manoj Kumar Chitara Department of Plant Pathology, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India Zahra Chitsaz-Esfahani Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran Rubee Devi Department of Biotechnology, Dr. Khem Singh Gill Akal College of Agriculture, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, India Prithwiraj Dey Department of Agronomy, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India El-haﬁd Nabti Laboratoire de Maitrise Des Energies Renouvelables, Faculté Des Sciences de La Nature Et de La Vie, Université de Bejaia, Bejaia, Algeria Zarrindokht Emami-Karvani Department of Microbiology, Falavarjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran Sonal Suresh Gawde Department of Microbiology, Gogate Jogalekar College, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India Alvina Gul Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan Geetika Guleria Department of Biotechnology, Dr. Khem Singh Gill Akal College of Agriculture, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, India Javad Hamedi Department of Microbial Biotechnology, School of Biology and Center of Excellence in Phylogeny Living Organisms, College of Science, Microbial Technology and Products (MTP) Research Center, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran xx Editor and Contributors

Tayyaba Hussain Department of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan Surendra Singh Jatav Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi,Uttar Pradesh, India Jagadish Jena Department of Agronomy, Indira Gandhi Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Raipur, India Yachana Jha N. V. Patel College of Pure and Applied Sciences, S. P. University, Anand, Gujarat, India Samiksha Jhamta Department of Zoology, Akal College of Basic Sciences, Eternal University, Sirmour, Rajgadh, India P. Karthika Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vish- wavidhyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India Simranjeet Kaur Department of Zoology, Akal College of Basic Sciences, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Sirmour, India Tanvir Kaur Department of Biotechnology, Dr. Khem Singh Gill Akal College of Agriculture, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, India Aamir Abdullah Khan Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Nankai Univer- sity Tianjin, Tianjin, China Divjot Kour Department of Biotechnology, Dr. Khem Singh Gill Akal College of Agriculture, Eternal University Baru Sahib, Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, India Anjali Kulkarni N. V.Patel College of Pure and Applied Sciences, S. P. University, Anand, Gujarat, India Amit Kumar Central Muga Eri Research & Training Institute, Central Silk Board, Lahdoigarh, Jorhat, Assam, India Jalaja S. Kumar Central Muga Eri Research & Training Institute, Central Silk Board, Lahdoigarh, Jorhat, Assam, India Saurabh Kumar Division of Crop Research, ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, India Upendra Kumar Department of Molecular Biology, Biotechnology & Bioin- formatics, College of Basic Sciences & Humanities, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India Vinay Kumar ICAR-National Institute of Biotic Stress Management, Baronda Farm, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India Reeta Luikham Central Muga Eri Research & Training Institute, Central Silk Board, Lahdoigarh, Jorhat, Assam, India Editor and Contributors xxi

Sagar Maitra Department of Agronomy, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi, Odisha, India Kamla Malik Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Sciences & Human- ities, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India Kauser Abdulla Malik KAM School of Life Sciences, Forman Christian College (A Chartered University), Lahore, Pakistan Rashmi Malik Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar (Udham Singh Nagar), Uttarakhand, India Samina Mehnaz KAM School of Life Sciences, Forman Christian College (A Chartered University), Lahore, Pakistan Kiran Kumar Mohapatra Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chem- istry, Odisha University of Agriculture & Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India Slimane Mokrani Department Agronomy, Laboratory of Research On Biological Systems and Geomantic (L.R.S.B.G), University of Mustapha Stumbouli, Mascara, Algeria; Laboratoire de Maitrise Des Energies Renouvelables, Faculté Des Sciences de La Nature Et de La Vie, Université de Bejaia, Bejaia, Algeria Salma Mukhtar KAM School of Life Sciences, Forman Christian College (A Char- tered University), Lahore, Pakistan; School of Biological Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan Rajeshwari Negi Department of Biotechnology, Dr. Khem Singh Gill Akal College of Agriculture, Eternal University Baru Sahib, Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, India Muhammad Numan Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA Jnana Bharati Palai Department of Agronomy, Centurion University of Tech- nology and Management, Paralakhemundi, Odisha, India Manoj Parihar ICAR-Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan, Almora, India Abhik Patra Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India Biswajit Pramanick Department of Agronomy, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agri- cultural University, Pusa, Samastipur, Bihar, India Prexha Department of Molecular Biology, Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, College of Basic Sciences & Humanities, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India xxii Editor and Contributors

Priyanka Department of Botany, Deva Nagri P.G. College, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India Kiran Rana Department of Agronomy, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India Ali Asghar Rastegari Department of Molecular and Cell Biochemistry, Falavarjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran Balram Sahu Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidhyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India Fatemeh Salimi Cellular and Molecular Group, Department of Biology, Damghan University, Damghan, Iran Tanmoy Shankar Department of Agronomy, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi, Odisha, India Malik Nawaz Shuja Department of Microbiology, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), Kohat, Pakistan Dipti Singh Division of Genetics, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India Manali Singh Invertis Institute of Engineering and Technology (IIET), Invertis University, Bareilly, UP, India Satish Kumar Singh Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi,Uttar Pradesh, India Ravindra Soni Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidhyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India Gangavarapu Subrahmanyam Central Muga Eri Research & Training Institute, Central Silk Board, Lahdoigarh, Jorhat, Assam, India R. B. Subramanian B R D School of Biosciences, Sardar Patel University, Anand, Gujarat, India Deep Chandra Suyal Department of Microbiology, Akal College of Basic Sciences, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, India Neelam Thakur Department of Zoology, Akal College of Basic Sciences, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Sirmour, India Rajesh Thakur Krishi Vigyan Kendra Kandaghat, Solan, Dedgharat, Himachal Pradesh, India Pragya Tiwari Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea Editor and Contributors xxiii

Preety Tomar Department of Zoology, Akal College of Basic Sciences, Eternal University, Sirmour, Rajgadh, India Muhammad Usmaan Central Cotton Research Institute CCRI Multan, Multan, Pakistan Ajar Nath Yadav Department of Biotechnology, Dr. Khem Singh Gill Akal College of Agriculture, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, India Ashok Yadav Department of Botany, Institute of Sciences, Banaras Hindu Univer- sity, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India Neelam Yadav Department of Food Technology, Dr. Khem Singh Gill Akal College of Agriculture, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, India Yogita Department of Molecular Biology, Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, College of Basic Sciences & Humanities, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India Ramna Zia Department of Life Sciences, School of Science, University of Manage- ment and Technology (UMT), Johar Town, Lahore, Pakistan