This book is about the role played by microbes in their community mode in sustaining ecosystems. The descriptions given in its chapters indicate clearly that microbial communities are more effective in delivering multifaceted benefits to the soil-plant system than those offered by microbial monocultures in planktonic modes. The role these communities play in a multitude of microbe-microbe and plant-microbe interactions have not yet been fully exploited to gain benefits in this field as well as to achieve sustainability in agriculture practices. Amply discussed are the beneficial characteristics and metabolic capacities of specific microbial groups and the use of microbial traits for the benefit of plant growth. The book suggests the need to develop new microbial technologies to utilize plant-associated microbes for increased crop productivity and agroecosystem balance in order to ensure sustainability. This also provides an effective guidance to scientists, academics, researchers, students and policy makers of the sphere to achieve the above outcomes.

Autorentext

Gamini Seneviratne, Senior** **Research Professor, National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Hantana Road, Kandy, Sri Lanka J. Shezmin Zavahir, Teaching Associate & Analytical Chemistry Researcher, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, VIC, Australia

Professor Gamini Seneviratne Professor Seneviratne received his PhD from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, followed by postdoctoral fellowships in Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, and the University of Sydney, Australia, where he is also a visiting professor. Currently, he is a senior research professor at the National Institute of Fundamental Studies (NIFS), Sri Lanka. He directs a novel field of research where microbial biofilms are developed for various biotechnological applications, including the world-first Biofilm-based biofertilizer biotechnology. He is a member of Soil Science Society of America, American Society for Microbiology, and a former editor, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment (Elsevier). He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences in Sri Lanka.

J. Shezmin Zavahir

Junaida Shezmin Zavahir (J. S. Z. Ismail) received a BSc (Microbiology) and MSc (Biotechnology), from the Bangalore University, India. She is a PhD researcher in Analytical Chemistry at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, and a Teaching Associate at its Faculty of Science. Her current research interests include gas chromatographic and infrared analysis of biofuels and essential oils, preceded by research on fungal-bacterial biofilm based biofertilizers. She has extensive experience as an analytical chemist of Alternate fuels. The recipient of numerous international and national awards, Shezmin is a member of the Chemicals and Plastics Innovation Network Industry Partnership, Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.

Inhalt
1 Role of Microbial Communities in Plant-Microbe Interactions, Metabolic Cooperation and Self-Sufficiency Leading to Sustainable Agriculture.- 2 Symbiotic Interactions of Phototrophic Microbes: Engineering Synthetic Consortia for Biotechnology.- 3 Understanding Agriculturally Indispensable Bacterial Biofilms in Sustainable Agriculture.- 4 Global Food Demand and The Roles of Microbial Communities in Sustainable Crop Protection and Food Security: An Overview.- 5 Sustaining Productivity through Integrated use of Microbes in Agriculture.- 6 Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi for Sustainable Crop Protection and Production.- 7 Role of Microbial Communities in Sustainable Rice Cultivation.- 8 Applications of Soil Bacterial Community in Carbon Sequestration: An Accost towards Advanced Eco-Sustainability.- 9 Approach Towards Sustainable Crop Production by Utilizing Potential Microbiome.- 10 Diversity, Function and Application of Fungal Iron Chelators (Siderophores) for Integrated Disease Management.- 11 Role of Microbial Communities in the Low-Cost, Sustainable Treatment of Pig Effluent Waste.- 12 Metal Stress Impacting Plant Growth in Contaminated Soil is Alleviated by Microbial Siderophores.- 13 Natural and Constructed Cyanobacteria-based Consortia for Enhancing Crop Growth and Soil Fertility.- 14 Microbial Communities Based Biofilmed Biofertilizers Enhance Soil Fertility and Plant Growth in Hevea Ecosystem: Evidences from Seedlings and Immature Plants.