Plant endophytes are a potential source for the production of bioactive compounds that can fight against devastating diseases in both plants and humans. Among these endophytic microorganisms, endophytic fungi are one of the dominant group of microorganisms with a potential role in plant growth promotion and the discovery of noble bioactive natural products. Endophytic fungi possess several bioactivities like anticancer, antimicrobial, insecticidal, plant growth stimulants, crop protection, phytoremediation, etc. Presence of modular biosynthetic genes clusters like PKS and NRPS in several endophytic fungi underscores the need to understand and explore such organisms. This volume presents and demonstrates the applied aspects of endophytic fungi. Practical applications of such endophytes are discussed in detail, including studies in pharmaceutical development and agricultural management of important microbial diseases. The beneficial effects that endophytic fungi provide to host plants-enhancing growth, increasing fitness, strengthening tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses through secondary metabolites-are also discussed. The reader is provided with a comprehensive and detailed understanding of such relationships between endophytic fungi and their host.

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Bhim Pratap Singh Dr. Bhim Pratap Singh working as Assistant Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, Aizawl, Mizoram University, India, has more than 10 years of research experience in the field of molecular microbiology, biocontrol of plant diseases, mushroom diversity, biosynthetic potential of actinobacteria and fungi associated with medicinal plants. He has worked for last 10 years on microbial diversity and explored the microbial population associated with medicinal plants and rhizospheric soils. His group has documented the wild mushroom of from Mizoram, Northeast India. He has completed seven externally funded research projects on screening and characterization of endophytic actibacteria and fungi associated with medicinal plants and the rhizospheric soils funded by several funding agencies. Dr. Singh has organized several international and national conferences and seminars including India-UK scientific seminar jointly funded by the British Council and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi. Dr. Singh has been awarded with several honors like young scientist award in 2014 from Scientific and education Research Society, India and Best achievement award for the contribution to the Asian PGPR society, USA. Dr. Singh is serving ad editors of several reputed peer reviewed scientific journals like Frontiers in Microbiology, Plos ONE etc., and he is an active member of several national and international professional bodies like Asian PGPR Society, Association of Microbiologists of India, MSI, ISCA etc.. His group has published more than 45 research papers in SCI journals and 16 book chapters in the books published by national and international publishers. Dr. Singh has also edited two books published from Springer and Elsevier publications. Dr. Singh has guided 4 Ph.D students and 3 M.Phil students till date. 

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PrefaceChapter 1Endophytic fungi associated with medicinal plants- a novel source for the discovery of natural productsDr. Bhim Pratap Singh, Department of Biotechnology, Mizoram University 796004, India 
Chapter 2Role of endophytic fungi in agriculture: An overview and future prospectus Prof. Ravindra Nath Kharwar, Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221005 India
Chapter 3****Endophytic fungi as a alternative source for the discovery of novel drugsDr. Rainer Ebel, Reader, Marine Biodiscovery Centre, Department of ChemistryUniversity of Aberdeen, Old Aberdeen, AB24 3UE, Scotland, UK
Chapter 4****Spectroscopic based methods of assessing microbial natural products from endophytic fungiDr. Mostafa Rateb, Lecturer in Chemistry, School of Science & sport, University of West of Scotland, UK.
Chapter 5****Synthesis of nanoparticles from endophytic fungi and their application in agriculture and healthDr. S. Chandra Nayak, ICAR (AICRP- Mysore centre), Pearl millet pathology laboratoryDOS in Biotechnology, University of Mysore, Mysore, India
Chapter 6****Biosynthetic potential of endophytic fungi with a focus on antimicrobial biosynthetic genesDr. S.Indira Devi, Scientist-C (Microbial Genomics and Proteomics), Microbial Resources Division, Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development, Manipur, India.
Chapter 7****Role of endophytic fungi in biofilm production as an alternative tool to control human pathogensDr Mukesh Kumar Yadav, Korea University, South Korea, Korea.
Chapter 8Plant growth promoting mechanisms of endophytic fungi associated with medicinal plantsDr Krishna Kumar, Head and Principal Scientist (Plant Pathology), ICAR-Indian Institute Pulses Research (IIPR), Uttar Pradesh, India
Chapter 9Antibiotics of endophytic fungal origin: an overview of research carried out in last three decadesProf. Dr. Wen-Jun Li, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
Chapter 10****Endophytic fungi and their role in bioremediationDr. Surajit Das, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela- 769 008, Orissa, INDIA
Chapter 11****Molecular methods used for the identification of endophytic fungiDr Ajit Kumar Passari, Aizawl, Mizoram University, Mizoram, India
Chapter 12Future prospects of endophytic fungal research in health and agricultureDr. P.Veera Bramha Chari, Head, Department of Biotechnology, KRISHNA UNIVERSITYMachilipatnam - 521 001- AP, India
Chapter 13****Endophytic fungi as a source of lignocellulose degrading enzymes for industrial applicationProf Sivakumar Uthandi, Professor (Ag. Microbiology), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641 003, INDIA
Appendix I: Media used in the recovery of endophytic fungi
Appendix II: Biosynthetic genes along with their amplification conditions
Index