This book shares the latest insights into the genetic basis of molecular communication between plants and their microbial consortia. Further, the book highlights the capabilities of the rhizosphere and endosphere, which help manage ecosystem responses to climate change, nutrient cycling and sequestration of carbon; and discusses their application to the development and management of renewable energy sources.

In their natural environments, plants are surrounded by a tremendous number of microorganisms. Some microbes directly interact with plants in a mutually beneficial fashion, while others colonize plants solely for their own advantage. In addition, microbes can indirectly affect plants by drastically altering their environments. Understanding the complex nature of the plant-microbe interface (PMI) can pave the way for novel strategies to improve plant productivity in an eco-friendly manner.

The PMI approach focuses on understanding the physical, molecular, and chemical interactions between organisms in order to determine their functional roles in biological, physical, chemical and environmental systems. Although several metabolites from plants and microbes have now been fully characterized, their roles in chemical interactions between these associates remain poorly understood, and require further investigation.

Dr Swati Tripathi: Assistant Professor at Amity Institute of Microbial Technology, Amity University, Noida, India. She is working on plant microbe interaction, and microbial biotechnology. Dr Tripathi has a number of research papers and review articles to her credit in the journals of international repute. She has her post doctoral experience from South Korea and has been awarded Early Career Research Award recently.

Dr Ram Prasad: Assistant Professor at Amity Institute of Microbial Technology, Amity University, Noida, India. He is working on plant microbe interaction, nanobiotechnology, and microbial biotechnology. Dr Prasad has edited several books and has a number of research papers and review articles to his credit in the journals of international repute. During 2014, Dr Prasad has been awarded American Cancer Society UICC International Fellowship for Beginning Investigator, USA. Presently, he is working as Research Associate Professor at School of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, China.