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The alkaline calcareous nature, high pH, salinity, heavy metals pollution, and low organic matter content of soils in many parts of the world have diminished the soil fertility and made essential nutrients unavailable to crops. To cope with the poor availability of soil nutrients, improve soil health, and feed the fast-growing global population, the farming community is using millions of tons of expensive chemical fertilizers in their fields to maintain an adequate level of nutrients for crop sustainability as well as to ensure food security. In this scenario, the exploitation of biofertilizers has become of paramount importance in the agricultural sector for their potential role in food safety and sustainable crop production. Bearing in mind the key importance of biofertilizers, this book examines the role of biofertilizers in sustainable management of soil and plant health under different conditions of the changing climate. Finally, it provides a platform for scientists and academicians all over the world to promote, share, and discuss various new issues, developments, and limitations in biofertilizers, crops, and beneficial microbes. Salient Features: Mainly focuses on the role of biofertilizers in managing soils for improving crop and vegetable yields as a substitute for chemical fertilizers. Highlights the valuable information for the mechanism of action, factors affecting, and limitations of biofertilizers in the wider ecosystem. Presents a diversity of techniques used across plant science. Designed to cater to the needs of researchers, technologists, policy makers, and undergraduates and postgraduates studying in the fields of organic agriculture, soil microbiology, soil biology, soil fertility, and fertilizers. Addresses plant responses to biofertilizers.

The main effects of Seaweed extracts (Ascophyllum, Fucus, Sargassum, Saccorhiza, Laminaria, Gelidium and others), when used as agricultural fertilizers, are better seed germination and higher quality fruit production, with longer shelf life; better use of soil nutrients; more productive crops and plants with greater resistance to unfavorable environmental conditions.Algae also have a long history of use as animal feed. They have a highly variable composition depending on the species, collection season and habitat, and on external conditions such as water temperature, light intensity and nutrient concentration in water.In relation to ruminal fermentation, a high variability of the digestibility values ​​was found among seaweed species and cannot be attributed only to the composition of different nutrients of the algae. The role of marine algae for reduction of methane production is discussed with particular emphasis on novel algae-based feed strategies that target minimal methane emissions without affecting the functionality of the microbiota and overall animal productivity.Key Features: Sustainable Agriculture Natural Feeding Nutrients Liquid Seaweed Agricultural Biostimulants Natural Pesticides

Sharply focused, up-to-date information on microbial biofertilizersincluding emerging options such as Piriformospora indica and MatsutakeThe Handbook of Microbial Biofertilizers provides in-depth coverage of all major microbial biofertilizers (rhizobia, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and cyanobacteriaas well as new