New Insights, Trends, and Challenges in the Development and Applications of Microbial Inoculants in Agriculture

Sergio de los Santos Villalobos is a full-time professor at Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, where he conducts research in microbial ecology, plant–microorganism–soil interactions, microbial inoculant production, and agro‑ecosystem conservation using isotopic techniques. His work integrates ecological, physiological, biochemical, and genetic approaches, spanning research from in vitro studies to field-level applications. In addition to his research and publications contributions, he has organized and taught multiple workshops and has served as President of international scientific congresses, as well as a plenary speaker at various congresses and symposia. His scientific achievements have been recognized by the National System of Researchers (Level 2), a special mention in the 2013 AgroBio Award (national), and the 2014 Tecnos Award (international) for contributions to biotechnology. He is also a member of expert panels for several organizations dedicated to soil conservation and the development of microbial inoculants for sustainable agriculture. Currently, he serves as an Associate Editor for several high–impact journals. His research programs and outputs reflect the work of a strong collaborative team of students and colleagues committed to advancing scientific knowledge with national and global impact, as well as the comprehensive training of human resources.

• 1. IntroductionPart I. Microbial Ecology in Food Security2. Microbial Interactions iIn Agroecosystems3. Plant-Pathogen Interactions: Mechanisms Involved in Plant Diseases4. Biological Control Agents for Mitigating Plant Diseases5. Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria as a Sustainable Agricultural StrategyPart II. Development of Next-Generation Bacterial Inoculants6. Bioprospection of Beneficial Bacteria for Bioproducts Innovation in Agriculture7. Molecular and Biochemical Responses of Plants to Bacterial Inoculants8. Omics Approaches for Detecting Action Modes of Microbial Inoculants9. Polyphasic Taxonomic of Strains Contained in Bacterial Inoculants10. Bacterial Inoculants Production Systems11. Bioformulation of Bacterial Inoculants12. Performance Evaluation of Bacterial Inoculants in the FieldPart III. Present and Future Scenario13. The Role of Microbial Culture Collections in the Bioinoculants Development14. Legal Framework for the Development of Microbial Inoculants15. Perspectives and Challenges for Innovating Microbial Inoculants