Agrifood Waste as Biofertilizer (Agrifood Waste and the Environment)

In recent years there have been major changes in environmental and soil health caused by the erratic consumption of chemical fertilizers while improved methods for the creation of microbial inoculants have increased knowledge about the potential to use microorganisms (biofertilizers) in the mineral nutrition of plants. Biofertilizers are formulated products that contain one or more microorganism to enhance the nutrient status (growth and yield) of plants by replacing soil nutrients or making them more available to plants. However, they are not true fertilizers and do not directly increase soil fertility by adding nutrients but instead promote natural processes and synthesize growth-promoting substances that stimulate plant growth. The value of this book includes: Assessing the current research about and developments in the understanding of biofertilizers. Focusing on the practical study of microbial inoculants through the technology involved in their manufacture and the methods used for mass production, distribution, and commercial delivery of the product to farmers. Systematically considering the microorganisms that are used as biofertilizers and how they influence certain processes (e.g. in nitrogen fixation, iron sequestration, and phosphate solubilization) to make complex organic molecules available for plants. Contributing to the wider understanding of organic farming as a sustainable production system that can improve environmental quality and human health. As part of the Agrifood Waste Series, this book demonstrates how biofertilizers from agrifood waste are an ideal candidate to replace chemical fertilizers and promote more sustainable agriculture. It provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the various processes that occur to turn microbial structures into biofertilizers before they are applied in the field.

Dr. Manju M. Gupta is a Professor of Botany at Sri Aurobindo College, University of Delhi, where she has been affiliated for over three decades. She holds an M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Delhi and completed her postdoctoral research under Prof. L.K. Abbott at the University of Western Australia. She is currently a Visiting Professor at Northern Arizona University, USA since October 2024. Dr. Gupta has over 37 years of research experience in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, Bioinformatics, Soil Microbiology and Microbiome studies and with a focus on sustainable agriculture and environmental change. She has completed four major research projects AM fungal databases, published 35 research papers in high-impact journals, and contributed extensively to scientific publishing through books and editorial work. She is in the editorial team of journal 'Symbiosis' from Springer .Her recent work includes the development of a globally accessible AM fungal barcoding tutorial in collaboration with the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, USA. She is Vice President of the International Symbiosis Society (USA), an advisor at SPUN (an international initiative to map global mycorrhizal networks), and has received numerous awards, including the BOYSCAST Fellowship from the Government of India. Dr. Gupta has delivered 38 invited lectures across the world and has convened several national and international symposia on microbial ecology and plant-soil interactions.

Dr. Abha Kumari is working in a capacity as an Associate Professor at Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh. She obtained a Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering (Materials Engineering) with over 20 years of experience in teaching and research. Her research area focuses on municipal waste management, bioprocess development, enzyme isolation and production, and biogas. She has completed three government-funded projects obtained from the Department of Biotechnology. She has published several book chapters and has about 25 research and review publications. She is editing a book on biofuels, which will be published by Springer.

Dr. Anirudh Sharma has been working at the Department of Biotechnology, JIIT, since July 2023. Before joining JIIT, Dr. Anirudh Sharma worked as an assistant professor at the University Institute of Biotechnology, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, from January 2019 to June 2023. He completed his PhD from the Department of Biotechnology at the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology in 2018. During his PhD, he qualified for CSIR-SRF in 2014 and availed of a of a CSIR fellowship. He got his Master's degree in Biotechnology from Choudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, in 2010. In the past, Dr. Anirudh Sharma had worked as a junior research fellow on a DAE-BRNS-sponsored project. During this project, he worked at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, at periodic intervals as part of the assignments under the sponsored project. He worked as a project fellow at INMAS-DRDO from July 2010 to July 2011. His core area of research is to develop a process for biofuel production from waste feedstocks through biocatalysis.

Neha Srivastava received a PhD in Biotechnology from Department of Molecular and Cellular Engineering, SHIATS, India in 2016 in the area of bioenergy. She works in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, India. She has published more than 28 research articles in peer reviewed journals and has filed 3 patents, 1 technology transfer and edited 7 books. She has many popular social scientific articles in newspapers and has 11 potential deposited microorganisms in her credit. Presently, she is working on bioprocess technology and biofuels production (Microbial screening and enzymes; production and enhancement, biohydrogen production from waste biomass, bioethanol production).