Browsing by Author "Hariom Verma"

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Beneficial and negative impacts of wastewater for sustainable agricultural irrigation: Current knowledge and future perspectives
(Elsevier B.V., 2023) Priya Yadav; Rahul Prasad Singh; Rajan Kumar Gupta; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Hariom Verma; Prashant Kumar Singh; Kaushalendra; Kapil D. Pandey; Ajay Kumar
Currently world faces the high risk of water crisis and the rising human population and changing climatic conditions accelerate this challenge. Therefore there is urgent need of water management for the human beings and all the living organisms. Agriculture is currently the world's largest water consumer. Furthermore, it has been anticipated that by 2050, the amount of water available for agricultural irrigation will have to increased by 70% to meet the demand of food for the rising global population. In this scenario, wastewater may be a viable option as a source of water for the agricultural irrigation. Although the waste water contains various trace elements and fertilizers contents and these can be used to enhance the agricultural production. However the presence of heavy load of some toxic compounds/metals in the waste water negatively affect the quality of plant, soil as well as environment and human health. Therefore in this chapter we have discussed briefly the merit and demerits of waste water utilization for agricultural irrigation. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.
Biocontrol Potential of Microbial Consortia: Approaches in Food Security and Disease Management
(Springer International Publishing, 2022) Hariom Verma; Chandra Kant; Sandeep Kumar Singh; James F. White; Ajay Kumar; Samir Droby
In the current scenario of climate change, the uncertainty of environmental factors and adverse impacts of chemical pesticides on the texture and productivity of soil along with increasing health concerns to humans appear as a global challenge in the management of agricultural yield to meet the food demand of burgeoning global populations. However, microbial consortia applied as either plant or soil inoculants have largely been used in the last few decades for the enhancement of agricultural productivity, improvement of nutrient status in the soil, improvement of fruit quality, and as biocontrol agents to control the growth of devastating phytopathogens during harvest or postharvest storage. The functional aspects of microbial consortia have been shown effective in broader ways as compared to individual cultures. Moreover, the efficiency of microbial consortia is higher due to the presence of several strains where each strain performs specific functions and shows better performance in functional behaviours in order to withstand environmental fluctuations. In this chapter, we have tried to compile the latest aspects and advancements in the development and application of microbial consortia for effective phytopathogen control so that the goals of food security could be achieved. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.
Biosurfactant producing microbes for clean-up of soil contaminants
(Elsevier, 2020) Sandeep Kumar Singh; Manoj Kumar Singh; Hariom Verma; Prem Pratap Singh; Anand Vikram Singh; Kumari Rashmi; Ajay Kumar
Microbial synthesized biosurfactants currently utilized in remediation of various organic pollutants including hydrocarbons, petroleum products, and oil spills and appear as latest and advanced approach in bioremediation. Biosurfactant is an amphipathic molecules constituted of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups, and their application reduced the surface or interfacial tensions of the immiscible fluids, which enhanced solubility and sorption potential of hydrophobic organic and inorganic compounds. Initially, chemically synthesized surfactants have been used for the remediation of hydrophobic contaminants but cost-effectiveness, toxic, and harmful residues limit their frequent use. In this regard, microbial synthesized biosurfactant emerges as a chief, eco-friendly, and best suitable alternative and frequently utilized in the environmental contamination management. In this chapter, we had summarized microbial source, limiting factors during biosurfactant production, and also discussed action mechanism against various environmental contamination. © 2021 Elsevier Inc.
Changes in species composition, diversity and biomass of herbaceous plant traits due to N amendment in a dry tropical environment of India
(Oxford University Press, 2014) Punita Verma; R. Sagar; Hariom Verma; Preeti Verma; Dharmendra K. Singh
Aim: European and North American studies have suggested that nitrogen (N) depositions reduce plant diversity and increase primary productivity due to changes in plant traits. To predict the vegetation response to future global change, experimental validations from other regions are widely needed. We assessed the effects of N treatment by urea fertilization on the diversity and biomass of the herbaceous plant traits (HPTs) in a dry tropical environment of India. Methods: Diversity and biomass of different HPTs were determined on the basis of data collected in year 2010, from 135, 1 m x 1 m plots distributed over 15 locations. The plots were treated with urea fertilizer in different doses (Control, 60kgNha-1 yr-1 and 120kg N ha-1yr-1) since 1st January 2007. The plots were ordinated and data were subjected to appropriate statistical analyses. Important Findings: Correspondence analysis (CA) suggested uniqueness of species composition due to N amendment. Species number and biomass of the trait categories varied due to N fertilization and traits. All studied trait categories (except N-fixers) yielded maximum mean species number at moderate level of N fertilization. Different levels of N fertilization exhibited different species diversity-primary productivity (D-P) relationships. Further, study showed reduction in plant diversity due to increase in biomass at high rates of N addition. Conclusions: Tall, erect, non N-fixers, annuals, grasses HPTs were favoured by N enrichment. N dose above 60kg enhanced the biomass of fast growing, erect, annuals, non N-fixers, nitrophilic HPTs. The changes in traits with N addition, especially the increase in annuals and grasses and decrease in typically N-rich N-fixers, have implications for sustainable cattle production. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Botanical Society of China. All rights reserved.
Composition, diversity, and biomass of herbaceous species and functional groups in a gradient of nitrogen amendment in a dry tropical environment of India
(Society for Tropical Ecology, 2013) Punita Verma; Hariom Verma; R. Sagar
Nitrogen depositions due to anthropogenically induced disturbances are adding more reduced N to the biosphere, and have had considerable impacts on soil and vegetation. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the effects of N application on the diversity and biomass of herbaceous functional groups in a dry tropical environment of India. For this, a total of 135 1-m2 plots distributed in five locations were established in the year 2007 on the campus of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. Each plot received a randomly chosen dose of N (0 kg N ha-1 yr-1 [control], 60 kg N ha-1 yr-1, or 120 kg N ha-1 yr-1). Vegetation samples were collected in 2009 and 2010. The species diversity of each functional group in each 1-m2 plot was calculated using the Shannon-Wiener index, and peak shoot biomass of the same was established by harvesting. The data were subjected to appropriate statistical analyses. NMS ordination suggested that soil moisture and N amendment caused changes in species and functional group composition and diversity. Location, year, and N amendment all contributed to significant differences in species diversity and biomass. Species diversity was maximum in the 60 kg N ha-1 yr-1 treated plots, while herbaceous above-ground biomass further increased due to the increase in N dose. The increase in total herbaceous biomass along the N amendment was mainly due to an increase in the biomass of grasses as there was a decline in forbs and legumes. © Society for Tropical Ecology.
Contamination removal from waste water using electrochemical approaches
(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Priya Yadav; Rahul Prasad Singh; Gurudatta Singh; Hariom Verma; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Praveen Dahiya; Ajay Kumar
Every year, a substantial amount of wastewater from industrial sources is discharged into the environment. To combat this pollution, a variety of techniques are employed for wastewater treatment. Among these methods is electrocoagulation (EC), which utilizes electrochemical reactions to generate coagulant substances on-site by dissolving sacrificial anodes typically made of iron or aluminum. By applying an electric current, EC effectively disrupts and removes suspended, dissolved, or emulsified pollutants. It holds great potential for eliminating a broad spectrum of contaminants, encompassing both organic and inorganic substances, from diverse wastewater types. The efficiency of the EC process depends on multiple parameters, including pH, electrode choice, operation duration, and current density. Nonetheless, EC encounters two primary challenges: electrode passivation and energy consumption. Despite these challenges, EC demonstrates advantages over conventional methods, such as decreased energy requirements and lower operational costs. © 2024 Elsevier Inc.
Distribution of cyanobacteria and their interactions with pesticides in paddy field: A comprehensive review
(Academic Press, 2018) Amit Kishore Singh; Prem Pratap Singh; Vijay Tripathi; Hariom Verma; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Akhileshwar Kumar Srivastava; Ajay Kumar
Cyanobacteria, also known as blue green algae are one of the important ubiquitous oxygen evolving photosynthetic prokaryotes and ultimate source of nitrogen for paddy fields since decades. In past two decades, indiscriminated use of pesticides led to biomagnification that intensively harm the structure and soil functions of soil microbes including cyanobacteria. Cyanobacterial abundance biomass, short generation, water holding capacity, mineralizing capacity and more importantly nitrogen fixing have enormous potential to abate the negative effects of pesticides. Therefore, investigation of the ecotoxicological effects of pesticides on the structure and function of the tropical paddy field associated cyanobacteria is urgent and need to estimate the fate of interaction of pesticides over nitrogen fixations and other attributes. In this regard, comprehensive survey over cyanobacterial distribution patterns and their interaction with pesticides in Indian context has been deeply reviewed. In addition, the present paper also deals the molecular docking pattern of pesticides with the nitrogen fixing proteins, which helps in revealing the functional interpretation over nitrogen fixation process. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd
Environmental contaminants and their management using microorganisms
(Elsevier, 2020) Manisha Mishra; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Monika Singh; Vipin Kumar Singh; Hariom Verma; Kumari Rashmi; Ajay Kumar
Nowadays environment faces rise in various contaminants of both organic and inorganic origin that adversely affect the texture productivity of soil, plants, and ultimately the health of human beings. The traditional physicochemical methods of environment management are still a major challenge due to their toxic residuals products and high cost effectiveness. Bioremediation or the remediation using microbes or their products is an emerging and sustainable method of contaminant management. The microbial strains including bacteria, cyanobacteria, and fungi secrete or synthesize various enzymes, metabolites, surfactant and also produce siderophore, EPS, HCN that help in transforming complex or toxic environmental contaminants such as hydrocarbons, petro products, heavy metals, pesticides, xenobiotics into simpler ones or even complete degradations. In this chapter, we summarize the different aspects of bioremediation and methodologies used by microbial strains used during the bioremediation of various environmental contaminants. © 2021 Elsevier Inc.
Impact of pesticides applications on the growth and function of cyanobacteria
(Elsevier, 2020) Vipin Kumar Singh; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Prashant Kumar Singh; Hariom Verma; K.D. Pandey; P.K. Singh; Ajay Kumar
Recently from last few decades, indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides not only affects the texture and productivity of soil but also affects the environment, health-related issues, and the nontarget microorganism. In the paddy field ecosystem, cyanobacteria are the integral part, which actively involved in maintaining nutrient availability, soil fertility, yield enhancement via biological nitrogen fixation, mineralizing activity, etc. But the continuous and higher dose application of pesticides (either insecticides or herbicides) in the paddy fields leads to a toxic or inhibitory impact on the growth and physiology of native cyanobacterial species. In general, lower concentrations of insecticides or herbicides have a stimulatory effect on the various cyanobacterial species and enhance the growth, nitrogen fixation activity, photosynthetic pigments, whereas higher doses lead to even death of the microorganisms. Therefore in this chapter, we tried to summarize the ecotoxicological impact of pesticides on the growth and function of native cyanobacterial species in the paddy field ecosystem. © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Insight in the transcriptome data of hairy root disease-causing bacterium-Agrobacterium rhizogenes
(Elsevier Inc., 2020) Akhilesh Yadav; Hariom Verma; Waquar Akhter Ansari; Asha Lata Singh; Major Singh
Agrobacterium rhizogenes induce the production of the hairy root through the transformation of plant genomes. In this article, we executed the transcriptome of A. rhizogenes through RNA-sequencing. RNA-sequencing of A. rhizogenes generated a total of 2.6 Gb raw data with a 75 bp paired-end sequence. The raw data has been submitted to the SRA database of NCBI with accession number SRR5641651. Reads were generated 2946 unigenes and all unigenes were annotated in the database. The length of transcripts ranged from 90 to 6369 bp, with a median transcript length of 968. The transcripts were annotated through the number of databases to obtain information about SSRs, SNPs, Gene Ontology, Transcription factors, and pathways analysis. © 2020 The Author(s)
Membrane processes for wastewater treatment
(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Gurudatta Singh; Priya Yadav; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Navi Ranjan; Hariom Verma; Luiz Fernando Romanholo Ferreira; Ajay Kumar
In last two decades, rising global population and industrial revolution significantly enhanced the release of waste water in the environment. Accumulation of waste water adversely affects the soil and water ecosystem and ultimately health of human beings. However various traditional methods physiochemical and biological methods have been employed for the wastewater treatment. In general, conventional wastewater treatment methods are successful in eliminating a large portion of degradable organic compounds and suspended solids found in wastewater. Nevertheless, to achieve more advanced treatment and effectively remove the contaminants, membrane separation technology has been considered as one of the effective approach. This chapter briefly describes the different approaches of membrane separation technologies, processes utilized for the waste water management. © 2024 Elsevier Inc.
Microbial bioremediation of heavy metal approaches and advancement
(Elsevier B.V., 2025) Priya Yadav; Jyotsna Bora; Arya Gupta; Guniyal Raina; Subhasha Nigam; Navaneet Chaturvedi; Ajay Kumar; Rahul Prasad Singh; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Hariom Verma
In the last few decades industrial revolution and rapid urbanization, uses of pesticides in the agriculture, as well as mining often lead to accumulation of heavy metals in the soil and water ecosystem. Although some of the heavy metals such as Zn, Co, Cu and Fe considered as essential trace elements required by the plants for the catalytic activity or as cofactors for the several enzymatic reactions. However the excess accumulation of the heavy metals in the environment such as soil or water ecosystem can lead to severe challenges to environments and human health. The accumulation of heavy metals in the human being can lead to the distruction of membrane integrity, DNA or inhibition of several proteins. Although to mitigate the challenges of heavy metals toxicity several traditional approaches have been followed, but the high cost, limited resources again appear as a challenge. In this context bioremediation or the microbial based bioremediation of the heavy metal gaining attention in the recent past. The paper has been compiled to briefly discuss the effect of heavy metal son the plant or human beings, the mechanism followed by the microbial species during the bioremediation of heavy metals and the application of microbial species in the bioremediation of heavy metals. © 2025
Microbial biosurfactant: A new frontier for sustainable agriculture and pharmaceutical industries
(MDPI, 2021) Ajay Kumar; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Chandra Kant; Hariom Verma; Dharmendra Kumar; Prem Pratap Singh; Arpan Modi; Samir Droby; Mahipal Singh Kesawat; Hemasundar Alavilli; Shashi Kant Bhatia; Ganesh Dattatraya Saratale; Rijuta Ganesh Saratale; Sang-Min Chung; Manu Kumar
In the current scenario of changing climatic conditions and the rising global population, there is an urgent need to explore novel, efficient, and economical natural products for the benefit of humankind. Biosurfactants are one of the latest explored microbial synthesized biomolecules that have been used in numerous fields, including agriculture, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food processing, and environment-cleaning industries, as a source of raw materials, for the lubrication, wetting, foaming, emulsions formulations, and as stabilizing dispersions. The amphiphilic nature of biosurfactants have shown to be a great advantage, distributing themselves into two immiscible surfaces by reducing the interfacial surface tension and increasing the solubility of hydrophobic compounds. Furthermore, their eco-friendly nature, low or even no toxic nature, durability at higher temperatures, and ability to withstand a wide range of pH fluctuations make microbial surfactants preferable compared to their chemical counterparts. Additionally, biosurfactants can obviate the oxidation flow by eliciting antioxidant properties, antimicrobial and anticancer activities, and drug delivery systems, further broadening their applicability in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Nowadays, biosurfactants have been broadly utilized to improve the soil quality by improving the concentration of trace elements and have either been mixed with pesticides or applied singly on the plant surfaces for plant disease management. In the present review, we summarize the latest research on microbial synthesized biosurfactant compounds, the limiting factors of biosurfactant production, their application in improving soil quality and plant disease management, and their use as antioxidant or antimicrobial compounds in the pharmaceutical industries. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Pathogenic microbes in wastewater: Identification and characterization
(Elsevier B.V., 2023) Rahul Prasad Singh; Priya Yadav; Rajan Kumar Gupta; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Hariom Verma; Prashant Kumar Singh; Kaushalendra; Kapil D. Pandey; Ajay Kumar
The rapid global industrialization and rising word human populations produced every year billions tons of wastewater and it has been estimated that more than 75% of these wastewater discharged into the open land without any treatment. However, these waste water contains huge amount of chemicals, pathogenic microorganism, heavy metals and toxic substances etc. The pathogenic wastewater microbe's identification and characterization has become one of the most challenging aspects, Molecular approaches have provided the means to examine and classify harmful microbial diversity and characterize specific organisms without the necessity for cultivation throughout the previous decade. Despite the need for quick molecular results, conventional wastewater microbial detection assays can take several days to produce a result. This timeframe is no longer acceptable, given the emergence of new molecular-based technologies. This chapter discusses current latest techniques which are used to characterize and identify the pathogenic microbes in the waste water. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.
Phytochemicals: Intellectual property rights
(Elsevier, 2020) Manoj Kumar Singh; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Anand Vikram Singh; Hariom Verma; Prem Pratap Singh; Ajay Kumar
Phytoconstituents have a considerable significance in the everyday life of humans since long. With the advent of modern sciences and technological innovations in the past few decades, a significant human interference within nature has been witnessed that leads to the enhancement of plant-based products in agro-pharma sectors. Commercial utilization of medicinal phytoconstituents is a valuable thing from scientific as well as industrial point of view. In the past few decades illegal commercial exploitation of phyto-resources has been witnessed. Hence in this context, Intellectual Property Rights makes conspicuous relation of balancing the use and protection of phytochemicals. Intellectual Property Right not only advocates equitable profit sharing with the indigenous peoples but also commands the sustainable use of phytoconstituents. TRIPS agreement, CBD and UPOV's standards, and guidelines ensure plant protection in terms of Intellectual Property (IP). India, being the member of the world's most challenging economies with respect to enforcement of Intellectual Property and its security, has various IP laws (Plant varieties and Farmer's Right Act (2001), Indian Biodiversity Act (2002), Geographical Indication of Goods Registration and Protection Act (1999), Traditional Knowledge Digital Library for protection of plants and their products. © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria of Curcuma amada (Mango ginger)
(Journal of Pure and Applied Microbiology, 2017) Ajay Kumar; Hariom Verma; Akhilesh Yadav; Waquar Akhtar Ansari; Prem Pratap Singh; Sandeep Kumar Singh; P.K. Singh; K.D. Pandey
In this study, 31 bacterial strains were isolated from the rhizospheric soil of Curcuma amada (mango ginger) and their plant growth promotion potential, salinity tolerance, antibiotic sensitivity, antimicrobial properties were evaluated. Eight bacterial strains namely Azotobacter chroococcum KCA1, Pseudomonas fluorescens KCA2, Bacillus subtilis KCA3, Bacillus sp. KCA4, Agrobacterium tumifaciens KCA5, Bacillus cereus KCL7, Pseudomonas putida KCA8 and Paenibacillus sp. KCA9 have been identified on the basis of biochemicals and 16S r RNA gene sequence analysis. All the strains solubilized tri-calcium phosphate and produced IAA, ammonia but only 50% of the strains produced siderophores during PGP traits analysis. Strains KCA8 tolerated maximum NaCl (7%) relative to strain KCA5 (1-2%). The strains were sensitive to the antibiotic chloromphenicol followed by erythromycin and most of these effectively inhibited growth of Escherichia coli, Fusarium solani and Alterneria alternata during antimicrobial properties.
Plant growth-promoting bacteria: Application in bioremediation of salinity and heavy metal-contaminated soils
(Elsevier, 2020) Divya Singh; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Vipin Kumar Singh; Hariom Verma; Manisha Mishra; Kumari Rashmi; Ajay Kumar
Salinity and accumulation of heavy metals in the soil are some prominent abiotic stress that limits yields and productivity of plant and soil. The physiochemical properties of the soil are highly specific and the ultimate requirement for optimum crop yields; however, the presence of any abiotic stress factors disturbs natural texture as well as physicochemical properties of the soil. Currently, to mitigate the challenges of salinity and heavy metals, various physical and chemical methods have been applied, but cost-effectiveness and the adverse impact of residues on the environment open a new door to find a sustainable and safe approach for the mitigation challenge of salinity and heavy metal stress. In this regard, plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) can be a suitable alternative in mitigation of stress challenge by their natural, eco-friendly, and sustainable approach. Besides remediation, utilization of PGPB benefitted the soil as well as crops by maintaining the nutrients status, synthesizing phytohormones, and solubilizing phosphate. © 2021 Elsevier Inc.
Plant-Endophyte Interaction during Biotic Stress Management
(MDPI, 2022) Parul Pathak; Vineet Kumar Rai; Hasan Can; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Dharmendra Kumar; Nikunj Bhardwaj; Rajib Roychowdhury; Lucas Carvalho Basilio de Azevedo; Kaushalendra; Hariom Verma; Ajay Kumar
Plants interact with diverse microbial communities and share complex relationships with each other. The intimate association between microbes and their host mutually benefit each other and provide stability against various biotic and abiotic stresses to plants. Endophytes are heterogeneous groups of microbes that live inside the host tissue without showing any apparent sign of infection. However, their functional attributes such as nutrient acquisition, phytohormone modulation, synthesis of bioactive compounds, and antioxidant enzymes of endophytes are similar to the other rhizospheric microorganisms. Nevertheless, their higher colonization efficacy and stability against abiotic stress make them superior to other microorganisms. In recent studies, the potential role of endophytes in bioprospecting has been broadly reported. However, the molecular aspect of host–endophyte interactions is still unclear. In this study, we have briefly discussed the endophyte biology, colonization efficacy and diversity pattern of endophytes. In addition, it also summarizes the molecular aspect of plant–endophyte interaction in biotic stress management. © 2022 by the authors.
Rhizome endophytes: Roles and applications in sustainable agriculture
(Springer International Publishing, 2019) Akanksha Gupta; Hariom Verma; Prem Pratap Singh; Pardeep Singh; Monika Singh; Virendra Mishra; Ajay Kumar
A rhizome is a modified subterranean diageotropic stem developed from axillary buds that retain the ability to give rise to a new plant. The presence of rhizomes in soil favors the growth of various microbial communities in its rhizosphere; some of the microbes enter inside rhizomes and survive as endophytes. Currently endophytic microorganisms are gaining attention by researchers due to their capability to synthesizing novel bioactive compounds that are useful in disease management of phytopathogens, and some of these compounds are important in novel drug discovery. In the sustainable agriculture, many of the bacterial and fungal endophytes are used as plant and soil inoculants to enhance yield and productivity of crops. The use of endophytes as biofertilizers is eco-friendly and has no adverse effects on the climate, or texture and productivity of soils, unlike chemical fertilizers. Microbes are relatively unexplored from rhizomes of various plants including medicinally important plants. These endophytes may be important biofertilizers, biocontrol agents, and agents for biotic or abiotic stress management. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.
Role of Pseudomonas sp. in sustainable agriculture and disease management
(Springer Singapore, 2017) Ajay Kumar; Hariom Verma; Vipin Kumar Singh; Prem Pratap Singh; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Waquar Akhtar Ansari; Akhilesh Yadav; P.K. Singh; K.D. Pandey
Recently the growing population and climate change are the most severe challenge for both farmers and researchers from the last two decades. It is estimated that by 2050 the global population reaches to ~9 billion which demands ~60% extra food from the present, which creates extra pressure on the farmers to achieve the need of food. The farmers currently utilized huge amount of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to enhance the food production and disease management. These chemical fertilizers not only affect the texture and productivity of soil but also the health of plants, humans, and environment. From the last two decades, plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) is one of the best choices as plant and soil inoculants to enhance the plant growth and disease management, due to their less impact on environment and eco-friendly nature. In this chapter, we focused on one of the most broadly used bacterial genus, Pseudomonas, which is present in the rhizosphere as well as within the tissue of the plants and used in sustainable agriculture for the enhancement of growth promotion and disease management. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017. All rights reserved.