Decoding Plant-Environment-Microbiome Interactions in Stress-Resilient Agriculture

Asfa Rizvi specializes in environmental microbiology and bioremediation, with a PhD in Agricultural Microbiology from Aligarh Muslim University, India. She has received two gold medals at the postgraduate level and has extensive experience in biotic/abiotic stress, heavy metals–microbes–plants interactions, and environmental microbiology. She has completed a prestigious national postdoctoral fellowship, as a principal investigator, awarded by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), India, where she investigated rhizobacteria-mediated disease management in cereal crops using high-throughput proteomics. Dr. Rizvi is a prolific author and also a reviewer and editorial contributor for journals like Chemosphere and Frontiers in Plant Science. With expertise in microbe–plant interactions, nanotoxicology, and biofertilizers, she brings a strong scientific and editorial vision to the field of microbial and environmental sciences. Mohammad Saghir Khan is a professor of microbiology at the Department of Agricultural Microbiology in Aligarh Muslim University, India. He has 27 years of teaching experience at the postgraduate and doctoral levels, as well as 29 years of research experience in environmental microbiology, nanotechnology, biofertilizer technology, soil pollution, bioremediation technology, immunology, soil microbiology and food crop production. Dr. Khan has published over 300 scientific papers including, original research papers, review articles, and book chapters in various national and international publications with over 22,000 Research citations, and edited 11 books, seven of which have been published under Springer. Currently, he serves as an associate editor for three international journals, namely the International Journal of Environmental Science & Technology, Frontiers in Environmental Science: Toxicology, Pollution, and the Environment and Journal of Modern Agriculture and Biotechnology.Eloisa Pajuelo is a professor of microbiology at the University of Seville, in Spain. She has 25 years of experience studying plant-microbe interactions, particularly the interaction of legumes with rhizobia, microbiota of halophytes under stress by heavy metals, and stresses caused by factors involved in climate change (namely salinity, drought, and low/high temperature). Her current research focuses on the design and application of biofertilizers in the current situation of multiple stresses that constraint plant growth. Dr. Pajuelo’s expertise also includes soil bacteria dynamics, endophytes, PGPR, and phytoremediation. She has published over 125 papers and book chapters in highly recognized peer reviewed international journals.Khalid Oufdou is a full professor at the Cadi Ayyad University, Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, in Morocco. He developed more than 20 research projects in Spain, France, Germany, Tunisia, Portugal, Sweden (3 IFS grants), and the European Union. He was awarded fellowships by the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst and Alexander von Humboldt foundation in Germany. Professor Oufdou has extensive experience in areas related with plant-microbe interactions, stress management of contaminated environments, plant biotechnology, microbial ecology, and antibacterials. He has published more than 80 research papers with high impact factors.Bilal Ahmed is a Research Scientist at Purdue University, USA. His research areas include microbiology, nanotoxicology, nano-bioremediation, and molecular microbiology. Dr. Ahmed has published over 60 research publications in peer reviewed high impact factor journals such as Environmental Chemistry Letters, Journal of Hazardous Materials, Environmental Pollution, and Scientific Reports, among others. He has also published numerous chapters and review articles in many books and journals published by leading international publishers. He currently serves as a member on the editorial board of Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology (Taylor & Francis), associate editor for Frontiers in Environmental Science (section: Toxicology, Pollution, and the Environment), and review editor for Frontiers in Plant Science and Frontiers in Nanotechnology.

• Section A: Phytomicrobiome and abiotic stresses1. Heavy metal–rhizobiome interactions: abundance, composition, and physiological functions2. Salt stress–soil microbiome interactions: structure, diversity, and physiological functions3. Impact of drought stress on soil microbial communities: a comprehensive report4. Effect of extreme temperatures on microbial growth and associated activities5. Abiotic stress–plant interactions: morphoanatomical features and physiological functions6. Genotoxic effects of different types of stresses on microbiome and plants7. Phytochemicals under abiotic stress: production and their role in plant defense8. Importance of proline in alleviation of abiotic stress in plants: recent advances9. Development of stress resilience in the rhizobiome: an overview10. Rhizosphere engineering for optimizing bioremediation potential: recent advancesSection B: Phytomicrobiomes as biotools in agriculture resilience under stress conditions11. Phytomicrobiome: ecology, physiology, and emerging trends in microbial applications12. The plant holobiont: root exudates, rhizosphere interactions, and biotechnological applications13. Plant endophytic microbiome: importance in crop production14. Importance of bacterial exopolysaccharides (EPS) in mitigation of abiotic stress15. Siderophilic microbes and their role in abatement of abiotic stress16. Remediation of stressed soils using plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria: recent developments17. Phytoremediation: basic concepts and real success stories18. Stress-tolerant rhizosphere microbiome–plant interactions: importance in crop production19 Role of “omics” in designing biofertilizers to enhance plant resilience under stressful conditions20. Bacterial biosorbents: an effective microbial strategy for metal detoxification21. Stress-tolerant endophytes: importance in crop yield optimization22. Performance of food crops in problem soils influenced by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi23. Phylum actinomycetota: suitable microbiological agents for bioremediation and crop production24. A broad host spectrum fungus, Piriformospora indica: a promising candidate for crop improvement under stressed environments25. Bio-based nanoremediation of inorganic pollutants: concepts and applicationsSection C: Human health implications and food safety26. Phytomicrobiome for promoting sustainable agriculture and food security: opportunities, challenges, and solutions27. Human health risks and regulatory guidelines associated with consumption of contaminated/poor-quality foods28. "A SWOT” analysis of the transfer of knowledge from the lab to the field: regulatory issues, developmental constraints, and opportunities