Endophytic Fungi (eBook)

Endophytes have unique characteristics to propagate inside host plants and aide the host by providing additional defense against environmental stresses and phytopathogens. Among endophytes, endophytic fungi have been recognized as a proliferating source for the production of bioactive compounds with potential in both the agricultural and health industries.

Excessive use of pesticides in agriculture as well as in the food supply chain have led to increased antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is one of the more serious global health concerns. Endophytic fungi and their associated bioactive substances have been reported to show natural ability to fight against pathogens and can reduce the development of AMR in nature. Studies also reported their potential as producers of hormones that enhance plant growth and several compounds having biological activities without any adverse effects.

This book covers the pharmaceutical potential of fungal endophytes as elucidated through advanced bioinformatics tools and modern techniques. Also synthetic drugs are losing their efficacy to treat microbial-induced disease due to this emergence of drug-resistant microbes. Therefore, insight into the detection of valuable plant constituents is a pressing priority in order to achieve effective pharmaceutical treatments. This book provides lucid discussion of the most recent research and provides knowledge about the applications of endophytic fungi with a specific focus to their pharmaceutical potential.

Affiliations and expertise

Professor, Department of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences (AES), National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship & Management (NIFTEM), An Institute of National Importance (INI), Haryana, India

Dr. Singh is a Professor in the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship & Management (NIFTEM), An Institute of National Importance (INI), under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India. Dr. Singh has obtained his Ph.D. from the Department of Biotechnology, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, India while working in the Indian Agricultural Research Institute-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms (ICAR-NBAIM), Mau, India completed his post graduate training at the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR), Pusa campus, New Delhi on Genetic Diversity of Barley Landraces by using RAPD markers. Dr. Singh has authored more than 100 research papers and book chapters in journals and books of international repute. Dr. Singh edited eight books published by Springer and Elsevier. He is a member of the Association of Microbiologist of India (AMI), the Asian PGPR society for Sustainable Agriculture, the Mushroom Society of India (MSI), and the Indian Science Congress (ISC). He received several prestigious awards from agencies such as DST, New Delhi and other agencies in the field of Microbial Diversity. Dr Singh has served as guest editors in many journals like Frontiers in Microbiology, Biology-MDPI, Journal of Fungi-MDPI, Frontiers in Molecular biosciences etc. His major research areas are in postharvest disease management using natural agents and improving the shelf life of fresh commodities to reduce food loss happening during the food supply chain.