Omics Bioprospecting of Beneficial Microorganisms in Sustainable Agriculture
- 1st Edition - April 1, 2027
- Latest edition
- Editors: Sergio de los Santos Villalobos, Fannie Isela Parra Cota, Valeria Valenzuela Ruiz
- Language: English
Advances in high-throughput sequencing, systems biology, and microbiome science reveal unprecedented opportunities to harness microbial diversity for crop productivity, soil… Read more
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Description
Description
Advances in high-throughput sequencing, systems biology, and microbiome science reveal unprecedented opportunities to harness microbial diversity for crop productivity, soil health, nutrient management, and pest and disease control. These technologies are enabling researchers to move beyond the simple identification of useful microorganisms toward a mechanistic understanding of their functions, interactions, and uses in agricultural systems.
Omics Bioprospecting of Beneficial Microorganisms for Sustainable Agriculture examines how genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, metagenomic, and integrated multi-omics approaches are accelerating the discovery and development of agricultural biologicals. Chapters cover plant-growth-promoting and nutrient-solubilizing bacteria, mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi, insect-associated microorganisms, bacteriophages, and plant-associated viruses, highlighting their roles in supporting plant health and ecosystem resilience.
In addition to discovery pipelines, the book addresses emerging tools for community profiling, activity characterization, microbial engineering, and precision agriculture. Real-world applications and case studies demonstrate how these approaches are being translated into reduced reliance on chemical inputs and suited to specific crops and growing conditions.
The volume concludes with discussions on biosafety, regulatory frameworks, commercialization challenges, climate resilience, and future directions for microbiome-based innovations. Bringing together perspectives from leading scholars across disciplines, it provides a comprehensive reference for scientists, agronomists, microbiologists, biotechnology professionals, and graduate students committed to strengthening food security.
Omics Bioprospecting of Beneficial Microorganisms for Sustainable Agriculture examines how genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, metagenomic, and integrated multi-omics approaches are accelerating the discovery and development of agricultural biologicals. Chapters cover plant-growth-promoting and nutrient-solubilizing bacteria, mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi, insect-associated microorganisms, bacteriophages, and plant-associated viruses, highlighting their roles in supporting plant health and ecosystem resilience.
In addition to discovery pipelines, the book addresses emerging tools for community profiling, activity characterization, microbial engineering, and precision agriculture. Real-world applications and case studies demonstrate how these approaches are being translated into reduced reliance on chemical inputs and suited to specific crops and growing conditions.
The volume concludes with discussions on biosafety, regulatory frameworks, commercialization challenges, climate resilience, and future directions for microbiome-based innovations. Bringing together perspectives from leading scholars across disciplines, it provides a comprehensive reference for scientists, agronomists, microbiologists, biotechnology professionals, and graduate students committed to strengthening food security.
Key features
Key features
- Profiles specific microbial agents and compounds — nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria, phosphate- and potassium-solubilizing strains, Trichoderma, and fungal secondary metabolites — behind biofertilizer and biopesticide applications
- Traces the identification of previously unclassified taxa and mechanisms of bacterial action through polyphasic taxonomy and community-level genetic surveys
- Weighs the ethical questions and practical hurdles — from strain stability to field-scale reliability — that shape whether lab findings become usable products, illustrated through documented case examples
Readership
Readership
Agronomists, microbiologists, biotechnologists, biochemists, soil scientists, plant pathologists, molecular biologists, bioinformaticians, and entomologists researching, developing, or applying microbial solutions in agriculture.
Table of contents
Table of contents
Section 1: Bioprospecting and omic sciences in agriculture
1. Bioprospecting and its role in agriculture
2. Importance of beneficial microorganisms in crop production and soil health
3. Omics sciences and their agricultural applications
4. Overview of agricultural challenges addressed by microbial bioprospecting through omics techniques
5. Genomics: identifying plant beneficial microbial genes
6. Transcriptomics: understanding gene expression in plant–microbe interactions
7. Proteomics: studying functional proteins in soil and plant health
8. Metabolomics: identifying bioactive compounds for crop protection
9. Metagenomics: exploring soil and rhizosphere microbial communities
Section 2: Bioprospecting plant-growth-promoting bacteria
10. Role of rhizobacteria (PGPRs) in soil fertility and crop yield improvement
11. Microalgae and nitrogen-fixing bacteria, including cyanobacteria, and their genomic insights
12. Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria and their role in sustainable fertilization
13. Potassium, calcium, and other nutrient-solubilizing bacteria and their role in crop production
14. Biocontrol bacteria against plant pathogens in the omics era
15. Polyphasic taxonomy for discovering novel taxa
16. Metagenomic approaches for discovering novel bacterial action modes
Section 3: Fungal bioprospecting for sustainable agriculture
17. Mycorrhizal fungi and their role in enhancing plant nutrient uptake
18. Omics-based discovery of biocontrol fungi against crop diseases
19. Endophytic fungi and their potential for plant stress resistance
20. Bioprospecting phyllosphere fungi for sustainable agriculture
21. Deciphering soil fungi for biocontrol of plant diseases
22. Trichoderma as a biological control agent
23. Fungal secondary metabolites for natural pesticides and biofertilizers
Section 4: Beneficial insects and viruses in agricultural biocontrol
24. Microbial symbionts of insects and their role in natural pest control
25. Metagenomic studies on insect microbiota for sustainable crop protection
26. Omics-driven discovery of insect-based biofertilizers
27. Bacteriophages for biocontrol of bacterial plant pathogens
28. Viral interactions in soil microbiomes and their agricultural implications
29. Potential of plant-associated viruses in enhancing crop resilience
Section 5: Success stories, challenges, and future trends in omic-driven agricultural microbial innovations
30. Omics contributions to agricultural microbial bioprospecting
31. Ethical and regulatory aspects of bioprospecting for agriculture
32. Safety, stability, and scalability of microbial-based agricultural solutions
33. Integrating multi-omics approaches for precision agriculture
34. Advancements in synthetic biology for agricultural microbial engineering
35. The role of omics in climate-resilient crop production
36. The future of microbiome-based sustainable agriculture
1. Bioprospecting and its role in agriculture
2. Importance of beneficial microorganisms in crop production and soil health
3. Omics sciences and their agricultural applications
4. Overview of agricultural challenges addressed by microbial bioprospecting through omics techniques
5. Genomics: identifying plant beneficial microbial genes
6. Transcriptomics: understanding gene expression in plant–microbe interactions
7. Proteomics: studying functional proteins in soil and plant health
8. Metabolomics: identifying bioactive compounds for crop protection
9. Metagenomics: exploring soil and rhizosphere microbial communities
Section 2: Bioprospecting plant-growth-promoting bacteria
10. Role of rhizobacteria (PGPRs) in soil fertility and crop yield improvement
11. Microalgae and nitrogen-fixing bacteria, including cyanobacteria, and their genomic insights
12. Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria and their role in sustainable fertilization
13. Potassium, calcium, and other nutrient-solubilizing bacteria and their role in crop production
14. Biocontrol bacteria against plant pathogens in the omics era
15. Polyphasic taxonomy for discovering novel taxa
16. Metagenomic approaches for discovering novel bacterial action modes
Section 3: Fungal bioprospecting for sustainable agriculture
17. Mycorrhizal fungi and their role in enhancing plant nutrient uptake
18. Omics-based discovery of biocontrol fungi against crop diseases
19. Endophytic fungi and their potential for plant stress resistance
20. Bioprospecting phyllosphere fungi for sustainable agriculture
21. Deciphering soil fungi for biocontrol of plant diseases
22. Trichoderma as a biological control agent
23. Fungal secondary metabolites for natural pesticides and biofertilizers
Section 4: Beneficial insects and viruses in agricultural biocontrol
24. Microbial symbionts of insects and their role in natural pest control
25. Metagenomic studies on insect microbiota for sustainable crop protection
26. Omics-driven discovery of insect-based biofertilizers
27. Bacteriophages for biocontrol of bacterial plant pathogens
28. Viral interactions in soil microbiomes and their agricultural implications
29. Potential of plant-associated viruses in enhancing crop resilience
Section 5: Success stories, challenges, and future trends in omic-driven agricultural microbial innovations
30. Omics contributions to agricultural microbial bioprospecting
31. Ethical and regulatory aspects of bioprospecting for agriculture
32. Safety, stability, and scalability of microbial-based agricultural solutions
33. Integrating multi-omics approaches for precision agriculture
34. Advancements in synthetic biology for agricultural microbial engineering
35. The role of omics in climate-resilient crop production
36. The future of microbiome-based sustainable agriculture
Product details
Product details
- Edition: 1
- Latest edition
- Published: April 1, 2027
- Language: English
About the editors
About the editors
SV
Sergio de los Santos Villalobos
Sergio de los Santos-Villalobos is the director of the Microbial Resource Biotechnology Laboratory at Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, Mexico, where his research spans microbial ecology, plant–microorganism–soil interactions, microbial inoculant production, and agro-ecosystem conservation using isotopic techniques. His work integrates ecological, physiological, biochemical, and genetic approaches, from in vitro studies to field-level application. He has organized and taught numerous workshops, served as President of international scientific congresses, and spoken as a plenary speaker at conferences worldwide. His contributions have been recognized by Mexico's National System of Researchers (Level 2), a special mention in the 2013 AgroBio Award, and the 2014 Tecnos Award for contributions to biotechnology. He serves on expert panels focused on soil conservation and microbial inoculant development and currently acts as Associate Editor for several journals in the field.
Affiliations and expertise
Full Professor, Laboratorio de Biotecnología del Recurso Microbiano, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora (ITSON), Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, MexicoFC
Fannie Isela Parra Cota
Fannie Isela Parra Cota earned her PhD in Plant Biotechnology from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) and is currently a Principal Researcher at the National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture, and Livestock Research (INIFAP). Her work focuses on agricultural biotechnology, particularly the study of plant–microorganism–soil interactions, the isolation and characterization of microorganisms with an agro-biotechnological approach, and the resistance mechanisms of wheat and maize to biotic stress (phytopathogenic fungi) and abiotic stress (drought, salinity, and heat). She is a Level I member of Mexico's National System of Researchers (SNI), contributing to advancements in sustainable agriculture and crop resilience.
Affiliations and expertise
Principal Researcher, Campo Experimental Norman E. Borlaug, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agricolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, MexicoVR
Valeria Valenzuela Ruiz
Valeria Valenzuela Ruiz is a researcher at the Laboratory of Microbial Resource Biotechnology at the Technological Institute of Sonora (ITSON), specializing in transcriptomic analysis of beneficial bacteria linked to biocontrol activity and plant growth promotion. She earned her Ph.D. from ITSON, where her work focused on the biocontrol mechanisms of Bacillus species against phytopathogenic fungi, with the aim of advancing sustainable agricultural practices. Her research integrates transcriptomic analysis and whole-genome mining to understand and enhance beneficial microbial traits in agriculture. Dr. Valenzuela Ruiz continues to contribute to the advancement of microbial biotechnology, promoting the development of bioinoculants and effective solutions for crop protection and growth enhancement.
Affiliations and expertise
Researcher, Laboratorio de Biotecnología del Recurso Microbiano, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora (ITSON), Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico