Dr. Avinash Chandra Rai is currently working as a visiting scientist at Agriculture Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel. Dr. Rai has been completed his Ph.D. degree in Biotechnology from Banaras Hindu University, Uttar Pradesh, India. He is currently serving as a visiting Scientist in Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization-The Volcani Centre, Israel. He has more than thirteen years of research experience, particularly in the area of plant molecular biology and plant physiology. His research interest is in deciphering the insights of plant abiotic stresses with the applications of molecular and physiological tools. He also has a keen interest in emerging environmental and physiological issues of crop plants. He is currently working to see the effect of auxin and ethylene in the process of abscission in mango and find out the role of essential gene involved in the pathways mechanism in abscission of fruit. Dr. Rai has more than seventeen research articles and book chapters in journals of national and international repute to his credit. He is a lifetime member of the Biotech Research Society of India (BRSI) and Society of vegetable Sciences, India. He is also the recipient of Young Scientist Associate award from Bioved Research Society, Allahabad, India in 2016. He has also actively participated in many national and international conferences, symposia and workshops related to his research field in India and abroad. Ajay Kumar is currently an Assistant Professor at the Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, India. He previously served as a Visiting Scientist at the Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Israel (2018–2022), and completed his doctoral research at the Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, focusing on plant–microbe interactions. Dr. Kumar’s research expertise spans plant–microbe interactions, microbial biocontrol, postharvest fruit disease management, microbial endophytes of medicinal plants, and cyanobacteria–pesticide interactions. He is a prolific author in leading international journals and is also actively engaged in academic editing with major publishers such as Elsevier, Springer, CRC Press, and Wiley. Dr. Kumar currently serves as an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Microbiology and BMC Microbiology, a Guest Editor for Microorganisms and Plants (MDPI), and a Series Editor for Plant and Soil Microbiome (Elsevier). Dr. Arpan Modi is currently working as a visiting scientist at Agriculture Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel. Dr. Modi has completed his doctoral degree in Plant Biotechnology from Anand Agricultural University, Gujarat, India. Since 2009, with more than 11 years of vast research experience, he has developed skills for various operations and troubleshooting in plant tissue culture. His research interest focuses mainly on the use of an interdisciplinary approach for the betterment of the plant life cycle. He has been through the area of plant biochemistry, plant biotechnology, plant molecular biology and nanotechnology. Currently, he has involved in the development of the protocol for the micropropagation of Ficus microcarpa and genome editing in the same for quality improvement. Dr. Modi has 13 research articles and book chapters in journals of national and international repute to his credit. He is a lifetime member of the Society for Sugar Research and Promotion, Uttar Pradesh, India. He has also actively participated in many national and international conferences, symposia and workshops related to his research field in India and abroad. Dr. Major Singh, presently works as Director of ICAR-Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research, Rajgurunagar, Pune, from 2017 to date and he served as Principal Scientist and Head, Division of Crop Improvement, Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi, from the year 2010 to 2015; Scientist, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Shillong, 1986-96; Sr Scientist and Principal Scientist, IIVR, Varanasi, 1996-2010. Project Coordinator and also act as Coordinator of All India Coordinated Research Project on Vegetable Crops, IIVR, and Varanasi 2011-16. Dr. Singh has published more than 200 Research articles in the various national and International Journal. Moreover he had been awarded by various scientific societies in his 35 years of research experience like Outstanding Multidisciplinary Team Research Award of ICAR for Biennium 2003-04; Rajeev Gandhi National Award, 2009-10; Dr. Harbhajan Singh Award, 2004, ISVS, Varanasi; Dr. Harbhajan Singh Award, 2005, ISVS, Varanasi.
