Endophytes for a Growing World

Description

The book brings together papers covering the most recent scientific research from the top endophyte researchers in the world. It presents the state of the art in our knowledge and technical capacity and explores future directions of this work. It is highly relevant and timely because of the need to improve global food security and its sustainability, and also to provide novel bioactive molecules for medicine. There is also a need to protect forestry in a changing and growing world. Endophytes offer a huge potential to reduce environmentally damaging agricultural inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides. They are also a largely overlooked group of organisms where much basic science remains to be undertaken. For example, new molecular tools of DNA profiling using high throughput environmental sequencing are allowing the exploration of a previously largely unknown resource. There is a pressing need to convert scientific research on endophytes into practical application. This book describes how that will be achieved.

Trevor R. Hodkinson is a Professor in Botany and Head of the Botany Molecular Laboratory, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. His research is mainly focused in fields known as endophyte biology, molecular systematics and genetic resource characterisation. He has specialist knowledge of the grass family and of forest tree genetics/mycorrhizae. Fiona M. Doohan is a Professor of Plant Pathology at University College Dublin, Ireland. Her research interests lie in the control of plant diseases through host genetics and via biological control. Her specialist area of knowledge is the control of cereal diseases. She has led several international consortia on this topic and collaborated extensively with industry and academic partners globally. Matthew J. Saunders is an Assistant Professor in Plant Science in the Botany Department, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. His research involves the area of environmental physiology, with particular emphasis on how plants respond to changes in their physical, chemical and biological environments and how this information can be used to assess the resilience and adaptive capacity of terrestrial ecosystems to global environmental change. Brian R. Murphy is a Research Fellow in the Botany Department at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. From an Irish perspective, he is largely responsible for the exciting research and associated publications relating to fungal endophyte application in agriculture. He is recognised as a leading expert in endophyte discovery from wild relatives of crops and their application to increasing stress resistance in cereal crops.

'This book provides a wealth of up-to-date information on the biology of endophytes and their host plants ... this book certainly has broadened my horizons. It will be a welcome addition and could be used in advanced classes in plant physiology, medical botany, and horticulture. As such, it is more suitable for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals.' John Z. Kiss, Plant Science Bulletin