Mycorrhizosphere and Pedogenesis

The present book highlights importance of mycorrhiza in soil genesis wherein it reflects mycorrhizal occurrence and diversity, various tools to characterize them and its impact on soil formation/health together with crop productivity. The edited compendium provides glimpses on the mycorrhizal fungi and their prominent role in nutrient transfer into host plants, and presenting view on application of mycorrhiza for crop biofortification. It focuses on the mechanisms involve in weathering process employed by mycorrhiza with highlighting the current and advanced molecular approaches for studying mycorrhizal diversity. Further, book emphasizes following aspects in details: significance of AMF in phytoremediation of hydrocarbon contaminated sites, the role of mycorrhiza in soil genesis using scientometric approach, the concept of mycorrhizosphere, xenobiotic metabolism, molecular approaches for detoxifying the organic xenobiotics and the role of mycorrhizosphere in stabilizing the environment in an eco-friendly way. In addition, the book will be benign to researchers that involved in mycorrhiza characterization especially by deploying metagenomics/PCR based and non PCR based molecular techniques that may be utilized to study the microbial diversity and structure within the mycorrhizosphere.

Prof. Dr. Ajit Varma Dr. Varma completed his M.Sc. (1959) & Ph.D. (1964) degrees at Allahabad University, Allahabad, India. In the course of his professional career, he has also served as a Microbiologist (Assistant Professor), IARI, New Delhi (1963-1971), Senior Microbiologist (Associate Professor), IARI, New Delhi (1971-1974), Associate Professor, JNU, New Delhi (1975-1984), and Professor, JNU, New Delhi (1985-2004). He has been a visiting professor & visiting research scientist at the Technical University, Graz (Austria), University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen (Germany), Friedrich Schiller University, Jena (Germany), Philipps University, Marburg (Germany), Technical University, Munich (Germany), Kingston (Jamaica), Max Planck Visiting Professorship (Germany), Helmholtz Zentrum, Muenchen (Germany), Gutenberg University, Mainz (Germany), CSIC, Madrid (Spain), University of Dundee (Scotland), University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), and ICGEB (Italy). His international awards/fellowships include the Commonwealth Fellowship (Australia), National Research Council (Canada), Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Germany), National Science Foundation (USA), Indo-Czechoslovakia Exchange Programme (Prague), DAAD Fellowship (Germany), and the Deutsches BMFT Programme, George-August University, Gottingen (Germany), RAISA. He was awarded a fellowship for Innovative Research in Biotechnology (Italy), Swiss Federal Research Fellowship (Switzerland), the BP Koirala award (Nepal) and DFG-INSA Fellowship (Indo- Germany), as well as the FAMI Award-Association of Microbiologists of India and Honorary Diploma, UMF, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Dr. Varma has successfully completed major projects as PI sponsored by DBT, DST, DRDO & ICAR. Besides, he has supervised more than 60 PhD students and published over 300 research articles for national and international journals of repute, as well as several major review articles and chapters in books. He has published 90 books in the area of Microbial Technology, published by Academic Press, London, CRC Press, Florida, USA, IDRC, Canada and Springer-Verlag, Germany.

Dr. Varma has been the series editor for Springer-Verlag’s Series on Soil Biology, and has edited fifty volumes on Soil Biology. He was also nominated as Editor-in-Chief by IK Internationals to make series of books on Microbial and Biotechnological Research. Dr. Varma has been a member of the National Academy of Agriculture Sciences (FNAAS), International Society of Symbiosis, Boston, USA, Indian Science Congress Association, Executive Council, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, University Research Council, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Academic Council, Amity University Rajasthan, ASSOCHAM Knowledge Millennium Council, ASSOCHAM Expert Committee on Agriculture and Food Processing, and ASSOCHAM Expert Committee on S&T and Innovation. He has vast experience in organizing national and international training workshops/symposia and congresses.