Thursday, February 13, 2025
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Book Proposal: Emerging Frontiers in Rhizoengineering: Genomics, Metabolomics, and Beyond

Dr. Izzah Shahid, postdoctoral researcher at Universidad Publica de Navarra, Pamplona (Spain) and member of the MiCropBiomes Working Groups, is co-editing a Book for Springer in the series “Microbes for Sustainability”.

Title of the Book: Emerging Frontiers in Rhizoengineering: Genomics, Metabolomics, and Beyond.
Focus: The Challenges and Bottlenecks in Rhizoengineering to Develop Successful Commercial Bioinocula.

Description: Since the advent of third-generation sequencing platforms and OMICS, main focus of research has been bacterial and fungal genome sequencing of PGPR, metagenomics to decipher the unculturable microbial rhizosphere diversity, metabolomics to assess the production of secondary metabolites, and analysis of transcripts to monitor the differential expression of active genes in biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. Intensive research in these areas has generated a bulk of literature and valuable information to practically use these strategies for rhizomicrobiome engineering for the development of sustainable agroecosystems. Besides, a lot has been written on inter-kingdom and intra-kingdom signaling in microbes, rhizosphere components amenable to engineering, and practical approaches of Rhizoengineering. Nonetheless, despite so much of the literature and evidence, practically used biofertilizers and biostimulants comprise single-strain inocula developed through conventional approaches. There is hardly any evidence of commercialized Bioinocula, either single-strain or consortium, developed using the principles of uncountable Rhizoengineering strategies and what should be the basis of selection for the development of biofertilizers using these contemporary approaches.

  1. Practical challenges to develop climate-smart bioinocula to fight future droughts
  2. Limitations and bottlenecks of Rhizoengineering techniques
  3. Comparative analysis of the practically used bioinocula developed using contemporary Rhizoengineering approaches
  4. Recommendations on traditional and obsolete approaches and rationalization of contemporary Rhizoengineering targets
  5. Microbe-dependent heterosis
  6. Genetics of host plants as the major determinant in shaping rhizomicrobiome
  7. Effects of drought on chlorophyll content and leaf physiology and anatomy

Please share your interests by sending an email to:
Professor Dr. Samina Mehnaz: saminamehnaz@fccollege.edu.pk
Dr. Izzah Shahid: izzahshahid@ymail.com