This book discusses various aspects of bioactive natural products employed in the agrochemical and agriculture sectors. It covers the use of plants, microorganisms, and microbial metabolites as eco-friendly, cost-effective, and sustainable alternatives to chemicals in the field of agriculture. Written by active researchers and academics, the book highlights state-of-art products in the field, as well as the gaps, challenges, and obstacles associated with the use of plants, microbes and their products. Given its scope, it is a valuable resource for the scientific community and professionals in enterprises wanting insights into the latest developments and advances in the context of biological products, including their applications, traditional uses, modern practices, and strategies to harness their full potential.

Endophytic fungi are important biotechnological tools because they produce many secondary metabolites. However, to access this important source of bioactive molecules, it is essential to explore the diversity of endophytic fungi and catalog their species richness in different ecosystems. This book reviews the diversity, characterisation and biocontrol of endophytic fungi.

The first contribution summarizes current trends in research on medicinal plants in Mexico with emphasis on work carried out at the authors' laboratories. The most relevant phytochemical and pharmacological profiles of a selected group of plants used widely for treating major national health problems are described. The second contribution provides a detailed survey of the so far reported literature data on the capacities of selected oxyprenylated phenylpropanoids and polyketides to trigger receptors, enzymes, and other types of cellular factors for which they exhibit a high degree of affinity and therefore evoke specifice responses. And the third contribution discusses aspects of endophytic actinobacterial biology and chemistry, including biosynthesis and total synthesis of secondary metabolites produced in culture. It also presents perspectives fo the future of microbial biodiscovery, with emphasis on the seondary metabolism of endophytic actinobacteria.

This book draws the reader into the latest debate on fungal diversity and the concept of lichen symbiosis. Chapters of this book cohere around four general themes: endolichenic fungi, isolation and culture, identification and bioactive potential. This is a highly informative book providing scientific insight for scholars interested in lichens and fungi. This research intrigues readers with this fascinating and less known fungal community residing inside lichens and arouses curiosity among lichenologists and mycologists about these fungi and their potential. This treatise provokes debate on the definition of lichen and its compositional organisms and invites further investigations on this topic by adding to the scholarly debate with various new perspectives on endolichenic fungi in the last chapter. Not only this, it also clarifies the differences between endolichenic fungi, mycorrhiza and lichenicolous fungi and the fungi found freely in air, water and soil and contributes to the development of the new field of endolichenic fungi. This book supports readers to build their knowledge through helpful case studies conducted throughout the globe and plentiful figures and illustrations and chemical structures of the novel compounds harvested from endolichenic fungi. This book covers both classical and cutting-edge technologies in the field of endolichenic fungi and offers step-by-step procedures for isolation and identification of endolichenic fungi and further contributes in how one can harvest the secondary metabolites from endolichenic fungi. This book shares the knowledge of some highly experienced authorities in the field of lichenology, mycology and endolichenic fungi and offers a first stop for specialists who need information about particular aspects in the field of endolichenic fungi. This research will equip researchers, professors, professionals working in this field to understand lichens and its intricate internal ecosystem with a fresh perspective and also enables readers to explore further through annotated references to other works.

This book focuses on the symbiotic microbiomes of invertebrates in coral reefs, especially sponges and corals. It provides in-depth and up-to-date reviews on the microbial structure and diversity, metabolism and function, symbiosis and coevolution, environment and adaption, and bioactive potentials. Meanwhile, the future perspectives will be discussed according to the existing problems and the development trend. This book will be of particular interest to the professionals in marine ecology, marine biotechnology, as well as medicinal chemists and molecular biologists.

Bioactive compounds produced by natural sources, such as plants, microbes, endophytic fungi, etc., can potentially be applied in various fields, including agriculture, biotechnology and biomedicine. Several bioactive compounds have proved to be invaluable in mediating plant-microbe interactions, and promoting plant growth and development. Due to their numerous health-promoting properties, these compounds have been widely used as a source of medication since ancient times. However, there is an unprecedented need to meet the growing demand for natural bioactive compounds in the flavor and fragrance, food, and pharmaceutical industries. Moreover, discovering new lead molecules from natural sources is essential to overcoming the rising number of new diseases. In this regard, natural bioactive compounds hold tremendous potential for new drug discovery. Therefore, this field of research has become a vital area for researchers interested in understanding the chemistry, biosynthetic mechanisms, and pharmacological activities of these bioactive metabolites. This book describes the basics of bioactive plant compounds, their chemical properties, and their pharmacological biotechnological properties with regard to various human diseases and applications in the drug, cosmetics and herbal industries. It offers a valuable asset for all students, educators, researchers, and healthcare experts involved in agronomy, ecology, crop science, molecular biology, stress physiology, and natural products.

White biotechnology is industrial biotechnology dealing with various biotech products through applications of microbes. The main application of white biotechnology is commercial production of various useful organic substances, such as acetic acid, citric acid, acetone, glycerine, etc., and antibiotics like penicillin, streptomycin, mitomycin, etc., and value added product through the use of microorganisms especially fungi and bacteria. The value-added products included bioactive compounds, secondary metabolites, pigments and industrially important enzymes for potential applications in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, medicine and allied sectors for human welfare. In the 21st century, techniques were developed to harness fungi to protect human health (through antibiotics, antimicrobial, immunosuppressive agents, value-added products etc.), which led to industrial scale production of enzymes, alkaloids, detergents, acids, biosurfactants. The first large-scale industrial applications of modern biotechnology have been made in the areas of food and animal feed production (agricultural/green biotechnology) and pharmaceuticals (medical/red biotechnology). In contrast, the production of bio-active compounds through fermentation or enzymatic conversion is known industrial or white biotechnology. The beneficial fungal strains may play important role in agriculture, industry and the medical sectors. The beneficial fungi play a significance role in plant growth promotion, and soil fertility using both, direct (solubilization of phosphorus, potassium and zinc; production of indole acetic acid, gibberellic acid, cytokinin and siderophores) and indirect (production of hydrolytic enzymes, siderophores, ammonia, hydrogen cyanides and antibiotics) mechanisms of plant growth promotion for sustainable agriculture. The fungal strains and their products (enzymes, bio-active compounds and secondary metabolites) are very useful for industry. The discovery of antibiotics is a milestone in the development of white biotechnology. Since then, white biotechnology has steadily developed and now plays a key role in several industrial sectors, providing both high valued nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical products. The fungal strains and bio-active compounds also play important role in the environmental cleaning. This volume covers the latest research developments related to value-added products in white biotechnology through fungi.

“Microbial Enzymes: Roles and applications in industry” offers an essential update on the field of microbial biotechnology, and presents the latest information on a range of microbial enzymes such as fructosyltransferase, laccases, amylases, lipase, and cholesterol oxidase, as well as their potential applications in various industries. Production and optimisation technologies for several industrially relevant microbial enzymes are also addressed. In recent years, genetic engineering has opened up new possibilities for redesigning microbial enzymes that are useful in multiple industries, an aspect that the book explores. In addition, it demonstrates how some of the emerging issues in the fields of agriculture, environment and human health can be resolved with the aid of green technologies based on microbial enzymes. The topics covered here will not only provide a better understanding of the commercial applications of microbial enzymes, but also outline futuristic approaches to use microbial enzymes as driver of industrial sustainability. Lastly, the book is intended to provide readers with an overview of recent applications of microbial enzymes in various industrial sectors, and to pique researchers’ interest in the development of novel microbial enzyme technologies to meet the changing needs of industry.