Dr. Vellaichamy Mageshwaran is presently working as a Senior Scientist in Microbial Technology Lab, ICAR-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Uttar Pradesh, India. He is specialized in the field of Soil Microbiology, Fermentation Technology and cotton biomass and by-products utilization. His current research interests are bacterial endophytes, bio-control of economically important plant pathogens and lignocellulosic biomass utilization. He had undergone international training on “Fermentation Technology” at University of North Carolina, USA in 2013. Some of his notable research achievements are rapid composting of cotton stalks, microbial degossypolization of cottonseed meal and eco-friendly enzymatic process for absorbent cotton preparation. These technologies were successfully commercialized to the potential stakeholders. He has trained more than 500 cotton growers on composting and oyster mushroom cultivation technology. He has published more than 80 research articles in national and international reputed journals. To his contribution in his field of research, he has been awarded with ISCI best research paper award 2014, best employee award 2017, Doordarshan Sahyadri Krishi Sanman Award 2019, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Award for Scientific Excellence 2020 among many others. Dr Udai B. Singh is presently working as a Senior Scientist in the Plant-Microbe Interaction & Rhizosphere Biology Lab, ICAR-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Mau, Uttar Pradesh, India. His specialized areas are Plant-Microbe interactions in the rhizosphere with special reference to biotic and abiotic stress management, molecular biology, biotechnology and plant pathology. As an active researcher, Dr Singh has published many research and review articles in the journals of national and international reputes and book chapters in edited books. He has developed some microbial-based bioformulations/technologies for sustainable crop production. His team has developed databases and web-based portals for public use. His developed portal (www.mgrportal.org.in) has been awarded copyright. Dr Singh has been awarded ‘DST Young Scientist’ under Fast-Track Scheme, ‘Young Scientist award’ of RASSA, New Delhi, Bharat Shiksha Ratan Award, K.P.V. Menon and Prof. K.S. Bilgrami Best Poster Award for the Year 2018 by Indian Phytopathological Society, New Delhi and Indian Society of Mycology & Plant Pathology, Udaipur.Anil K. Saxena had worked as Director, ICAR-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms during 2016 to 2021. He worked as Head, Division of Microbiology IARI from 2009 -2015. He has successfully transferred the technologies developed at the Division of Microbiology to entrepreneurs throughout the country, leading to increased revenue generation and coverage of land under microbial inoculants. Dr. Saxena carried out 20 different projects funded by various agencies like DBT, DST, World Bank and ICAR. He is a member of many professional societies. To his credit, he has more than 20 book chapters and 120 Research publications both in National and International Journals. For his contributions to teaching, he was awarded the Best Teacher award of IARI. He was awarded FAO fellowship twice for post-doctoral work at The Netherlands and Israel and World Bank fellowship for visit to Canada. Till date, he has guided 8 Ph.D. and 11 M. Sc students and at present guiding three Ph.D. students. He was elected as fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Indian Academy of Microbiological Sciences and is a recipient of XIV Shri Hari Krishna Shastri Memorial award, Distinguished Scientist award of Asian PGPR Society and Prof G. Rangaswami award of AMI. Harikesh Bahadur Singh is presently an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, GLA University, Mathura. Prior to this assignment he served as Professor and Head of the Department ofMycology and Plant Pathology at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University. He also served the State Agriculture University, Central University, and CSIR institutes in teaching, research, and extension roles. His major research focus is on bioinoculants, biological control of plant pathogens, and nanobiotechnology. Professor Singh played a key role in popularizing organic farming and translating agriculturally important microorganisms from lab to land and has worked extensively in the field of plant pathology. He has been honoured with several prestigious awards, notably the CSIR Technology Prize for Biological Sciences, M. S. Swaminathan Award by the Society for Plant Research, Prof. V. P. Bhide Memorial Award by the Society for Plant Research, Distinguished Scientist Award by the Society for Research Development in Agriculture, Prof. Panchanan Maheshwari Medal by the Indian Botanical Society, Rashtriya Gaurav Award by IIFS, Plant Pathology Leader Award by IPS and CSIR Award for S&T Innovation for Rural Development (CAIRD) among many others. Dr. Singh has been a fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Currently, he is serving as an associate/academic/board editor for journals of international repute. He has more than 300 publications to his credit, including several training modules/ manuals, 24 edited books, and 20 patents (USA, Canada, and PCT). He has successfully transferred several microbe-based technologies for commercial production of biopesticides to several industrial houses in India.

• Ch 1. Bacillus spp.: Nature Gift to Agriculture and Humankind.- Ch 2. Fostering Sustainable Agriculture: Bacillus spp. as a Key Player in Enhancing Soil Health and Crop Growth.- Ch 3. Plant Growth Promoting traits of Bacillus and related genera.- Ch 4. Biofilm forming capability of Bacillus and its related genera.- Ch 5. Endophytic Bacilli for the amelioration of biotic and abiotic stresses in plants: A mechanistic approach.- Ch 6. Application of Bacillus species in the alleviation of salinity-stressed agricultural soil: An overview.- Ch 7. Exploring the potentiality of Bacillus amyloliquifaciens as a prominent biocontrol agent: A Comprehensive Overview.- Ch 8. Bacillus and related genera on biocontrol of insects and nematodes.- Ch 9. Bacillus subtilis-mediated induction of disease resistance and promotion of plant growth of vegetable crops.- Ch 10. Bacillus-mediated degradation of recalcitrant agricultural pesticides: A cutting-edge approach towards the clean-up of environmental contaminants.- Ch 11. New insights into the taxonomy of Bacillus and related genera in relevance to their antimicrobial peptides.

Dr. Vellaichamy Mageshwaran is presently working as a Senior Scientist in Microbial Technology Lab, ICAR-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Uttar Pradesh, India. He is specialized in the field of Soil Microbiology, Fermentation Technology and cotton biomass and by-products utilization. His current research interests are bacterial endophytes, bio-control of economically important plant pathogens and lignocellulosic biomass utilization. He had undergone international training on “Fermentation Technology” at University of North Carolina, USA in 2013. Some of his notable research achievements are rapid composting of cotton stalks, microbial degossypolization of cottonseed meal and eco-friendly enzymatic process for absorbent cotton preparation. These technologies were successfully commercialized to the potential stakeholders. He has trained more than 500 cotton growers on composting and oyster mushroom cultivation technology. He has published more than 80 research articles in national and international reputed journals. To his contribution in his field of research, he has been awarded with ISCI best research paper award 2014, best employee award 2017, Doordarshan Sahyadri Krishi Sanman Award 2019, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Award for Scientific Excellence 2020 among many others. Dr Udai B. Singh is presently working as a Senior Scientist in the Plant-Microbe Interaction & Rhizosphere Biology Lab, ICAR-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Mau, Uttar Pradesh, India. His specialized areas are Plant-Microbe interactions in the rhizosphere with special reference to biotic and abiotic stress management, molecular biology, biotechnology and plant pathology. As an active researcher, Dr Singh has published many research and review articles in the journals of national and international reputes and book chapters in edited books. He has developed some microbial-based bioformulations/technologies for sustainable crop production. His team has developed databases and web-based portals for public use. His developed portal (www.mgrportal.org.in) has been awarded copyright. Dr Singh has been awarded ‘DST Young Scientist’ under Fast-Track Scheme, ‘Young Scientist award’ of RASSA, New Delhi, Bharat Shiksha Ratan Award, K.P.V. Menon and Prof. K.S. Bilgrami Best Poster Award for the Year 2018 by Indian Phytopathological Society, New Delhi and Indian Society of Mycology & Plant Pathology, Udaipur.Anil K. Saxena had worked as Director, ICAR-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms during 2016 to 2021. He worked as Head, Division of Microbiology IARI from 2009 -2015. He has successfully transferred the technologies developed at the Division of Microbiology to entrepreneurs throughout the country, leading to increased revenue generation and coverage of land under microbial inoculants. Dr. Saxena carried out 20 different projects funded by various agencies like DBT, DST, World Bank and ICAR. He is a member of many professional societies. To his credit, he has more than 20 book chapters and 120 Research publications both in National and International Journals. For his contributions to teaching, he was awarded the Best Teacher award of IARI. He was awarded FAO fellowship twice for post-doctoral work at The Netherlands and Israel and World Bank fellowship for visit to Canada. Till date, he has guided 8 Ph.D. and 11 M. Sc students and at present guiding three Ph.D. students. He was elected as fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Indian Academy of Microbiological Sciences and is a recipient of XIV Shri Hari Krishna Shastri Memorial award, Distinguished Scientist award of Asian PGPR Society and Prof G. Rangaswami award of AMI. Harikesh Bahadur Singh is presently an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, GLA University, Mathura. Prior to this assignment he served as Professor and Head of the Department ofMycology and Plant Pathology at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University. He also served the State Agriculture University, Central University, and CSIR institutes in teaching, research, and extension roles. His major research focus is on bioinoculants, biological control of plant pathogens, and nanobiotechnology. Professor Singh played a key role in popularizing organic farming and translating agriculturally important microorganisms from lab to land and has worked extensively in the field of plant pathology. He has been honoured with several prestigious awards, notably the CSIR Technology Prize for Biological Sciences, M. S. Swaminathan Award by the Society for Plant Research, Prof. V. P. Bhide Memorial Award by the Society for Plant Research, Distinguished Scientist Award by the Society for Research Development in Agriculture, Prof. Panchanan Maheshwari Medal by the Indian Botanical Society, Rashtriya Gaurav Award by IIFS, Plant Pathology Leader Award by IPS and CSIR Award for S&T Innovation for Rural Development (CAIRD) among many others. Dr. Singh has been a fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Currently, he is serving as an associate/academic/board editor for journals of international repute. He has more than 300 publications to his credit, including several training modules/ manuals, 24 edited books, and 20 patents (USA, Canada, and PCT). He has successfully transferred several microbe-based technologies for commercial production of biopesticides to several industrial houses in India.

• Ch 1. Bacillus spp.: Nature Gift to Agriculture and Humankind.- Ch 2. Fostering Sustainable Agriculture: Bacillus spp. as a Key Player in Enhancing Soil Health and Crop Growth.- Ch 3. Plant Growth Promoting traits of Bacillus and related genera.- Ch 4. Biofilm forming capability of Bacillus and its related genera.- Ch 5. Endophytic Bacilli for the amelioration of biotic and abiotic stresses in plants: A mechanistic approach.- Ch 6. Application of Bacillus species in the alleviation of salinity-stressed agricultural soil: An overview.- Ch 7. Exploring the potentiality of Bacillus amyloliquifaciens as a prominent biocontrol agent: A Comprehensive Overview.- Ch 8. Bacillus and related genera on biocontrol of insects and nematodes.- Ch 9. Bacillus subtilis-mediated induction of disease resistance and promotion of plant growth of vegetable crops.- Ch 10. Bacillus-mediated degradation of recalcitrant agricultural pesticides: A cutting-edge approach towards the clean-up of environmental contaminants.- Ch 11. New insights into the taxonomy of Bacillus and related genera in relevance to their antimicrobial peptides.

Dr. Vellaichamy Mageshwaran is presently working as a Senior Scientist in Microbial Technology Lab, ICAR-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Uttar Pradesh, India. He is specialized in the field of Soil Microbiology, Fermentation Technology and cotton biomass and by-products utilization. His current research interests are bacterial endophytes, bio-control of economically important plant pathogens and lignocellulosic biomass utilization. He had undergone international training on “Fermentation Technology” at University of North Carolina, USA in 2013. Some of his notable research achievements are rapid composting of cotton stalks, microbial degossypolization of cottonseed meal and eco-friendly enzymatic process for absorbent cotton preparation. These technologies were successfully commercialized to the potential stakeholders. He has trained more than 500 cotton growers on composting and oyster mushroom cultivation technology. He has published more than 80 research articles in national and international reputed journals. To his contribution in his field of research, he has been awarded with ISCI best research paper award 2014, best employee award 2017, Doordarshan Sahyadri Krishi Sanman Award 2019, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Award for Scientific Excellence 2020 among many others. Dr Udai B. Singh is presently working as a Senior Scientist in the Plant-Microbe Interaction & Rhizosphere Biology Lab, ICAR-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Mau, Uttar Pradesh, India. His specialized areas are Plant-Microbe interactions in the rhizosphere with special reference to biotic and abiotic stress management, molecular biology, biotechnology and plant pathology. As an active researcher, Dr Singh has published many research and review articles in the journals of national and international reputes and book chapters in edited books. He has developed some microbial-based bioformulations/technologies for sustainable crop production. His team has developed databases and web-based portals for public use. His developed portal (www.mgrportal.org.in) has been awarded copyright. Dr Singh has been awarded ‘DST Young Scientist’ under Fast-Track Scheme, ‘Young Scientist award’ of RASSA, New Delhi, Bharat Shiksha Ratan Award, K.P.V. Menon and Prof. K.S. Bilgrami Best Poster Award for the Year 2018 by Indian Phytopathological Society, New Delhi and Indian Society of Mycology & Plant Pathology, Udaipur.Anil K. Saxena had worked as Director, ICAR-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms during 2016 to 2021. He worked as Head, Division of Microbiology IARI from 2009 -2015. He has successfully transferred the technologies developed at the Division of Microbiology to entrepreneurs throughout the country, leading to increased revenue generation and coverage of land under microbial inoculants. Dr. Saxena carried out 20 different projects funded by various agencies like DBT, DST, World Bank and ICAR. He is a member of many professional societies. To his credit, he has more than 20 book chapters and 120 Research publications both in National and International Journals. For his contributions to teaching, he was awarded the Best Teacher award of IARI. He was awarded FAO fellowship twice for post-doctoral work at The Netherlands and Israel and World Bank fellowship for visit to Canada. Till date, he has guided 8 Ph.D. and 11 M. Sc students and at present guiding three Ph.D. students. He was elected as fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Indian Academy of Microbiological Sciences and is a recipient of XIV Shri Hari Krishna Shastri Memorial award, Distinguished Scientist award of Asian PGPR Society and Prof G. Rangaswami award of AMI. Harikesh Bahadur Singh is presently an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, GLA University, Mathura. Prior to this assignment he served as Professor and Head of the Department ofMycology and Plant Pathology at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University. He also served the State Agriculture University, Central University, and CSIR institutes in teaching, research, and extension roles. His major research focus is on bioinoculants, biological control of plant pathogens, and nanobiotechnology. Professor Singh played a key role in popularizing organic farming and translating agriculturally important microorganisms from lab to land and has worked extensively in the field of plant pathology. He has been honoured with several prestigious awards, notably the CSIR Technology Prize for Biological Sciences, M. S. Swaminathan Award by the Society for Plant Research, Prof. V. P. Bhide Memorial Award by the Society for Plant Research, Distinguished Scientist Award by the Society for Research Development in Agriculture, Prof. Panchanan Maheshwari Medal by the Indian Botanical Society, Rashtriya Gaurav Award by IIFS, Plant Pathology Leader Award by IPS and CSIR Award for S&T Innovation for Rural Development (CAIRD) among many others. Dr. Singh has been a fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Currently, he is serving as an associate/academic/board editor for journals of international repute. He has more than 300 publications to his credit, including several training modules/ manuals, 24 edited books, and 20 patents (USA, Canada, and PCT). He has successfully transferred several microbe-based technologies for commercial production of biopesticides to several industrial houses in India.

• Ch 1. Bacillus spp.: Nature Gift to Agriculture and Humankind.- Ch 2. Fostering Sustainable Agriculture: Bacillus spp. as a Key Player in Enhancing Soil Health and Crop Growth.- Ch 3. Plant Growth Promoting traits of Bacillus and related genera.- Ch 4. Biofilm forming capability of Bacillus and its related genera.- Ch 5. Endophytic Bacilli for the amelioration of biotic and abiotic stresses in plants: A mechanistic approach.- Ch 6. Application of Bacillus species in the alleviation of salinity-stressed agricultural soil: An overview.- Ch 7. Exploring the potentiality of Bacillus amyloliquifaciens as a prominent biocontrol agent: A Comprehensive Overview.- Ch 8. Bacillus and related genera on biocontrol of insects and nematodes.- Ch 9. Bacillus subtilis-mediated induction of disease resistance and promotion of plant growth of vegetable crops.- Ch 10. Bacillus-mediated degradation of recalcitrant agricultural pesticides: A cutting-edge approach towards the clean-up of environmental contaminants.- Ch 11. New insights into the taxonomy of Bacillus and related genera in relevance to their antimicrobial peptides.