Advances in Microbiology

Contents: Preface. 1. Significance and status of microbial diversity/D.C. Sharma and T. Satyanarayana. 2. Biosensors and their applications/S.S. Kanwar and Sunita Devi. 3. Thermophilic xylanases—molecular and biotechnological perspectives/S.P. George, D.S. Nath and M.B. Rao. 4. Potential use of Azolla biofertilizer in sustainable rice production/K. Kumar and S. Kannaiyan. 5. Phosphate solubilizing activity of microbes and their role as biofertilizer/Jyoti Saxena and Vinay Sharma. 6. Frankia—a promising nitrogen fixing actinomycetes/Mahadeva Swamy, M.N. Sreenivasa and M.K. Naik. 7. Endophytic association of Azorhizobium caulinodans for nodulation and nitrogen fixation in cereal crops/S. Kannaiyan and K. Kumar. 8. Extraction of metals from ores using bacteria—a review/N. Anuradha, N.S. Sashidhar and H. Polasa. 9. Biological remedies for groundwater pollution/R. Kaushik and I.K. Sharma. 10. Optimization of factors affecting nickel bioleaching by two strains of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans/N. Anuradha, A.K. Mathur, N.S. Sashidhar and H. Polasa. 11. Development of new antimicrobial agents—issues and options/C.K.M. Tripathi and Vinod Bihari. 12. Biotechnological approaches in management of soilborne diseases/M.K. Naik, Mahadevaswamy and Arun Sataraddi. 13. Keratin colonizing fungal flora/R.K.S. Kushwaha. 14. Alkaliphiles—microbes in alkaline environments/S. Borkar and S. Bhosle. 15. A novel inexpensive technique for isolation of Anaerobes/Nandita Ashtaputre and R.H. Balasubramanya. 16. Development and structure of nodules in leguminous weeds/P.S. Jain. 17. Emerging new approaches for development of vaccines/G. Prasad, Minakshi and Yashpal Malik. 18. Phosphate solubilising microbial systems/Geeta Singh. 19. Biotechnological application of microbes for improved plant productivity/S.K. Dwivedi and P. Dwivedi. 20. Mycorrhizal fungi as deterrents of root pathogens/D.A. Sumana, A.N. Balakrishna and D.J. Bagyaraj. 21. Microbial degradation of Xenobiotics in marine environment/Upal Roy and Saroj Bhosle. 22. Biodiversity of Cyanobacteria/B.V. Singh, O.N. Tiwari, Dolly Wattal Dhar and P.K. Singh. 23. Citric acid fermentation—a current perspective/Sanjay Gupta and Chandra B. Sharma. 24. Microbes in the management of plant parasitic nematodes/P.C. Trivedi. Index.

"Microbiologist have made significant contributions to basic biological sciences as well as in the applied areas of public health and medical sciences, agriculture, industry and environmental sciences. The most dramatic current development in applied microbiology is due to development of genetic engineering and recombinant DNA technology.

"The book "Advances in Microbiology" provides a comprehensive and critical review of the work done on different areas of microbiology including agriculture, industry medical science, bioremediation etc. The book contains 24 chapters. Chapters cover information on the status of microbial diversity, application of biosensors, Azolla as biofertilizer, Frankia. –nitrogen fixing actinomycetes, extraction of metals from ores using bacteria, alkaliphiles, Citric acid fermentation, biodiversity of cyanobacteria, microbial degradation of xenobiotics etc. Aspects, covering biotechnological applications of microbes for improved plant productivity and new approaches for development of vaccines have been specially included to project their role and use in the twenty-first century. Comprehensive account of microbes in the management of soil borne diseases and plant parasitic nematodes throw, light on the importance of microbes in the management of plant pests.

"This book will be useful to researchers, teachers and students of microbiology, botany, zoology and agriculture."