Microbial Cross-talk in the Rhizosphere

This book addresses a very important aspect of microbial ecology that has direct relevance to crop productivity. The soil zone under the direct influence of roots, or rhizosphere, is known for very intense microbial activities that include interactions with plants and other organisms. Many a times, these interactions are very specific and dictated by exchange of signaling molecules, broadly known as the cross-talk. This book covers our recent understanding of the mechanisms of plant-microbe cross-talk in the rhizosphere. In addition, it delves into the subject of how such interactions can influence plant health. The book opens with an overview of plants’ interaction with, and indeed influence on, their microbiome. Both beneficial and disease-causing microbes inhabit the soil. Wilt-causing fungi are discussed here as an example of soilborne disease as well as insights on sustainable ways to control it. There are chapters related to beneficial rhizosphere residents like Trichoderma, pseudomonads and mycorrhizae, many of which are commercially used in agriculture, and also a specialized chapter on how to effectively deliver such plant-beneficial microbes through seed coating. The book concludes with a chapter on fungal effector proteins, some of which can be used to modulate plant defense against pests and pathogens.