Molecular and Biotechnological Tools for Plant Disease Management

This book aims to present the latest advances in the application of plant biotechnology and molecular biology in disease management. Among these, molecular techniques can be used to accelerate the detection and identification of pests and pathogens in plants. Also, the identification of resistance genes, characterization of desired resistance genes, and transfer of resistance gene(s) into plants have been performed by applying molecular techniques. The book will collect chapters exploring emerging areas of plant biotechnology including RNAi technology, genetic engineering, GWAS, CRISPR, and nanobiotechnology, and their applications in plant disease management and provides the latest concepts and advances in the field of plant pathology, including detection, identification, characterization, classification and diagnosis, host resistance, disease forecasting, management of plant pests and pathogens, and plant biotechnological approaches. This book offers a valuable reference for educators, students, and researchers in all disciplines of the agricultural sciences, life sciences, and biotechnology at universities, research institutions, and biotechnology companies.

Recent strategies in the management of bacterial diseases for cereals.- Diagnostics and detection tools for pathogens in food crops.- Molecular diagnostics and management of phyto-parasitic nematodes.- Advances in the management of bacterial diseases of vegetable crops.- Emerging approaches based on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for crop disease tolerance.- Recent diagnostics, detection and monitoring tools: Implications for plant pathogens and their management.- Molecular diagnostics of plant viruses, viroids, and phytoplasma: An updated overview.- Detection and identification of plant viruses, viroids, and phytoplasma based on high-throughput molecular approaches.- Advances in Contemporary Tools for Detecting and Diagnosing Plant Pathogens.- Advanced molecular techniques in the identification of phytopathogenic fungi.- Plant microRNAs: Identification and their application in disease management.- RNAi as a potential tool for control and management of plant disease: An updated overview.- RNA interference for plant disease management: Updated methods, current applications and future directions.- Emerging molecular tools and breeding strategies for plant bacterial disease management.- Disease-resistant genes and signal transduction pathways and their applications in disease management.- Genome editing technologies for resistance against phytopathogens.- CRISPR/Cas9 system of crop improvement: Understanding the underlying machinery.- CRISPR-edited plants for plant-disease management.

Dr. Jen-Tsung Chen
National University of Kaohsiung
Jen-Tsung Chen is a professor of cell biology at the National University of Kaohsiung in Taiwan. He also teaches genomics, proteomics, plant physiology, and plant biotechnology. Dr. Chen’s research interests include bioactive compounds, chromatography techniques, plant molecular biology, plant biotechnology, bioinformatics, and systems pharmacology. He is an active editor of academic books and journals to advance the exploration of multidisciplinary knowledge involving plant physiology, plant biotechnology, nanotechnology, ethnopharmacology, and systems biology. He serves as an editorial board member and a guest editor in reputed journals. Dr. Chen published books in collaboration with international publishers and he is handling book projects on diverse topics such as drug discovery, herbal medicine, medicinal biotechnology, nanotechnology, bioengineering, plant functional genomics, plant speed breeding, epigenetics, AI models, functional RNAs, and CRISPR-based plant genome editing. In 2023, Dr. Chen has been included in the World's Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University.

Dr. Masudulla Khan
Aligarh Muslim University
Masudulla Khan is working as an assistant professor of Botany at Women’s College, Aligarh Muslim University, India. He received a Ph.D. degree in Botany from Aligarh Muslim University in 2019. Dr. Khan qualified Junior Research Fellowship (CSIR/UGC- NET/JRF/SRF) Exam in 2014 with a 67 rank conducted by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research/University Grant Commission. He also qualified National Eligibility Test Exam conducted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research/Agriculture Scientist Recruitment Board (ICAR/ASRB-NET, 2018). Dr. Khan is working on the research field of plant disease complexes including nematodes, fungi, and bacteria and their management. Currently, he focuses on the sustainable management of plant diseases by developing novel eco-friendly pesticides. Dr. Khan has published research articles in reputed journals and has considerable experience in sharing his research findings at national as well as international conferences and seminars.

Dr. Aiman Parveen
Mayfair College
Aiman Parveen is working as an Assistant Professor of Botany at Mayfair College, Moradabad (U.P.), India. She received her Ph.D. degree in Botany from Dept. of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, India. She is working on plant-microbes interaction, their effects on agriculture, and the management of plant pathogens. She has meritoriously contributed to the field of plant pathology, as reflected in several publications by her in reputed International peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Parveen is in the process of editing a few books in cooperation with internationally reputed publishers. She was awarded the “Young Scientist Award 2022” at an International conference in Nepal and the Young Women Scientist Award. Dr. Parveen qualified for a prestigious national-level exam, “GATE-XL”, in 2019, conducted by the Department of Higher Education, Government of India. She has been appointed as a reviewer for diverse international journals. 

Dr. Jayanta Kumar Patra
Dongguk University

Jayanta Kumar Patra, MSc, PhD, PDF, is an Associate Professor at the Research Institute of Biotechnology & Medical Converged Science at Dongguk University, Republic of Korea. He has more than 12 years of research and teaching experience in the fields of pharmacology and nano-biotechnology. His current research focuses on nanoparticle synthesis by green technology methods and associated biomedical applications: green synthesis of silver, gold, iron, calcium, and phosphorous nanoparticles using food waste, agricultural waste, and plant materials and evaluation of their antibacterial, antioxidant, and cytotoxicity potential. He also focuses on the antibacterial synergistic potential of nanoparticles and conjugation with different antibiotics, drugs, etc. along with the ethno-medicinal potential of plants. He has edited 20+ books covering nanotechnology in pharmacology, biomedicine, and food sciences, including titles published with Elsevier and other internationally known publishers. He is currently also an editorial board member of several international journals.