FUNGI AND THEIR ROLE IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: CURRENT PERSPECTIVES-

This book illustrates the multiple roles of fungi in everyday life. Fungi are the large group of organisms with tremendous diversity and economic importance. Their ability to produce commercially efficient useful products makes them the vulnerable sustainable tool for the future generation. This book describes a systems approach and provides a means to share the latest developments and advances about the benefits of fungi including their wide application, traditional uses, modern practices, along with designing of strategies to harness their potential. The chapters are organized with data, providing information related to different sustainable aspects of fungi in agriculture, its cultivation and conservation strategies, industrial and environmental utilization, advanced bioconversion technologies and modern biotechnological interventions. Updated information and current opinion related to its application for sustainable agriculture, environment, and industries as futuristic tools have been presented and discussed in different chapters. The book also elucidates a comprehensive yet a representative description of the challenges associated with the sustained application of fungi to achieve the goals of sustainability.

​Dr. Praveen Gehlot is Associate Professor, Department of Botany, Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur, India. He did his Ph.D. from JNV University Jodhpur, under the able guidance of Prof. D.K. Purohit. He has about 18 years of teaching and research experience. He has been an awardee of Young Scientist under FAST Track Scheme by Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi and later worked as a Pool-Officer of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. Earlier, he taught at Budha Institute of Technology and Science Research College, Jodhpur and Government Bangor PG College, Pali, Rajasthan and subsequently served as an Associate Professor and Head, Department of Microbiology, Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Bikaner, Rajasthan. Dr. Gehlot has successfully completed three major research projects sponsored by UGC, DST and CSIR. He has published more than 75 research papers, book chapters and review articles in journals of international and national repute and has edited three books entitled “Pyrenomycetes Fungi”, “Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi” and “Microbes: In Action” published by AgroBios, India. He attended several International and National Seminars, Symposia, Conferences and chaired technical sessions. He is an active member of various scientific societies, including Mycological Society of India, Society of Mycology and Plant Pathology, India, Association of Microbiologists of India, Indian Science Congress Association.

Dr. Joginder Singh Panwar is presently working as an Associate Professor at the Department of Biotechnology, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India. Previously, he has worked as Young Scientist at Microbial Biotechnology and Biofertilizer Laboratory, Department of Botany, Jai Narain Vyas University in Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. His research interest is to explore different efficient strategies towards bioremediation and phytoremediation of pollutants from water and soil. Presently, he is working on designing and development of cleanup technology (biofilters) for in-situ bioremediation of textile industrial effluents. He is an active member of various scientific societies and organizations including, Association of Microbiologists of India, Indian Society of Salinity Research Scientists, Indian Society for Radiation Biology, and European Federation of Biotechnology. Till now, he has published more than 60 research and review articles in the peer-reviewed journals and authored or co-authored numerous books and book chapters.