Meta-omics in Crop Improvement Volume II: Applications and Implications

This second volume on meta-omics technologies brings together the rapidly growing facets of this discipline, focusing on its application in crop improvement. By integrating metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, metaproteomics, and metabolomics, it aims to document progress and the integration of meta-omics technologies in crop research, showcasing case studies and applications while examining wider consequences of implementing meta-omics in agriculture. This book features chapters discussing a range of applications of these methods across diffenet crops, including rice, wheat, legumes, fibre crops, tobacco, soybean, horticultural crops, microalgae and cyanobacteria. A chapter focused on the integration of machine learning in metagenomics highlights the possibilities and obstacle;es in predictive modeling , big data analysis and functional annotation. Collectively, these chapters demonstrate both the scientific diversity of these approaches' applications across various crops and settings, as well as the forward-thinking consequences for enhancing crop development

Researchers in the field of agricultural science, as well as practitioners interested in sustainable crop production, will find this volume invaluable. It offers a comprehensive understanding of how meta-omics can be harnessed to address pressing agricultural challenges, making it a must-read for anyone committed to advancing global food security and sustainable agriculture. 

Dr. Renu did her M.Sc. in biotechnology from Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly and PhD in life sciences from Chatrapati Sahuji Maharaj University, Kanpur, India. She was a post-doctoral fellow at Plant Molecular Biology Department, National Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB affiliated Institute), Tehran, Iran during 2003-2005. Currently she is working as a Principal Scientist, Commercial Crops, Crop Science Division at ICAR Headquarters, New Delhi. She has more than 27 years of research experience and has led numerous projects in frontier areas of microbial biotechnology including microbe-based bioremediation of heavy metal polluted areas; meta-omics; organic farming, etc., resulting in over 151publications including  research papers, articles, books, technical manuals, etc. She is recipient of several awards and is   Fellow of Society for Plant Research (FSPR)(since 2019) and Fellow of Society for applied Biotechnology ( since 2012). 

Dr. Sanjeev Gupta started his career as a scientist in Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Presently, he is the Assistant Director General (Oilseed & Pulses) at Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. He has more than 32 years of research experience in grain legume genetics and breeding and developed 18  high yielding cultivars in grain legumes (Mungbean, blackgram and common bean). As a national coordinator on pulses, the efforts made by him led to increase mungbean and urdbean production in the country more than 2.5 times in short span of just past eight years and march towards self-sufficiency in pulses. He has authored nearly 178 research papers published in peer-reviewed internationally recognized journals. He has also edited six books on pulses. He is the Fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and recipient of several awards for his research and literary contribution.

Dr. Tilak Raj Sharma, a well-known Plant Molecular Biologist, is presently working as ICAR-National Professor-BP Pal Chair at NIPB, Pusa campus, New Delhi. He has been former Deputy Director General (Crop Science), ICAR, New Delhi and also acting DDG (Horticulture Science), Director &Vice Chancellor, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, ICAR-IARI Assam, ICAR-IARI Jharkhand and Director, ICAR-NIBSM, Raipur. He obtained three post-doctorate trainings in plant molecular biology and genome analysis, one at University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada and two from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, USA. Dr. Sharma is the fellow of all four national academies viz, Indian National Science Academy, Indian Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. His major research interests are in the areas of genomics and plant disease resistance. He was associated with the decoding of complete genomes of rice, tomato, pigeonpea, jute, mango, tea, guar, wheat, lathyrus and many plant pathogens. Dr. Sharma published more than 225 research papers in many peer reviewed journal including Nature, written two books and has obtained seven Indian patents.