Sudhakar Srivastava – författare

Rice Cultivation under Abiotic Stresses: Challenges and Opportunities provides a unique look at three key factors in optimized rice yield - cultivation practices, understanding abiotic stress response, and mitigation strategies - enabling the reader to better understand the cause, effect, and means of protecting rice crop yield. It is a uniquely comprehensive resource for advancing the sustainable and optimal production of rice that will be a valuable resource for researchers and advanced students in Agriculture, Agronomy, Botany, Plant Physiology, and Environmental Science.Rice is the primary source of energy for over half of the world’s people. It can play a vital role against mal and under nutrition, but as climate and other abiotic challenges continue to impact yield, steps need to be taken to ensure production.

Arsenic has been said to be one of the world’s most toxic elements, infiltrating the food chain and finding its way into foods. Studies have recently detected high levels of arsenic in rice, which is a major concern since rice is a staple food for a large part of the world’s population. This new volume addresses this problem, covering arsenic contamination in rice and offering effective mitigation strategies.

Arsenic has been said to be one of the world’s most toxic elements, infiltrating the food chain and finding its way into foods. Studies have recently detected high levels of arsenic in rice, which is a major concern since rice is a staple food for a large part of the world’s population. This new volume addresses this problem, covering arsenic contamination in rice and offering effective mitigation strategies.

Environmental contamination of heavy metals is a major problem, threatening sustainable agricultural production and health of millions of people. The extensive distribution of heavy metals in soil and water makes it necessary to employ environment-friendly low-cost and sustainable approaches for the remediation of contaminated sites. Phytoremediation has been considered a viable approach to meet these demands; however, it must provide some economic gains too. The use of economically important medicinal and aromatic plants is helpful in restoration of metal-contaminated sites and also may provide economic gains to the farmers. The book brings about a critical overview of the prospects of utilizing medicinal and aromatic plants in phytoremediation, including their utility, economic benefits and human safety issues. The book will be a timely addition to the field and would act as landmark. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, doctoral and graduate students working in the area of environmental pollution and cleanup technologies. The students working in the field of metal(loid) stress and crop biofortification will also find this to be a useful read. The content of the book is presented in simple language and represented through beautiful and scientifically informative figures and tables.

Environmental contamination of heavy metals is a major problem, threatening sustainable agricultural production and health of millions of people. The extensive distribution of heavy metals in soil and water makes it necessary to employ environment-friendly low-cost and sustainable approaches for the remediation of contaminated sites. Phytoremediation has been considered a viable approach to meet these demands; however, it must provide some economic gains too. The use of economically important medicinal and aromatic plants is helpful in restoration of metal-contaminated sites and also may provide economic gains to the farmers. The book brings about a critical overview of the prospects of utilizing medicinal and aromatic plants in phytoremediation, including their utility, economic benefits and human safety issues. The book will be a timely addition to the field and would act as landmark. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, doctoral and graduate students working in the area of environmental pollution and cleanup technologies. The students working in the field of metal(loid) stress and crop biofortification will also find this to be a useful read. The content of the book is presented in simple language and represented through beautiful and scientifically informative figures and tables.

Metal toxicity and deficiency are both common abiotic problems faced by plants. While metal contamination around the world is a critical issue, the bioavailability of some essential metals like zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se) can be seriously low in other locations. The list of metals spread in high concentrations in soil, water and air includes several toxic as well as essential elements, such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), aluminum (Al), and selenium (Se). The problems for some metals are geographically confined, while for others, they are widespread. For instance, arsenic is an important toxic metalloid whose contamination in Southeast Asia and other parts of world is well documented. Its threats to human health via food consumption have generated immense interest in understanding plants’ responses to arsenic stress.

Metals constitute crucial components of key enzymes and proteins in plants. They are important for the proper growth and development of plants. In turn, plants serve as sources of essential elements for humans and animals. Studies of their physiological effects on plants metabolism have led to the identification of crucial genes and proteins controlling metal uptake and transport, as well as the sensing and signaling of metal stresses. Plant-Metal Interactions sheds light on the latest development and research in analytical biology with respect to plant physiology. More importantly, it showcases the positive and negative impacts of metals on crop plants growth and productivity.

Arsenic contamination poses a major environmental problem, especially in Southeast Asian countries like Bangladesh and India. Threatening the health of millions of people due to arsenic’s toxicity and carcinogenicity, the major routes of arsenic exposure for humans are either through drinking water or crops. Rice is the crop most affected by arsenic owing to its cultivation in major arsenic contaminated areas, biogeochemical factors in the soil during rice growth, and specific features of rice that enable it take up more arsenic than other crop plants.

This book addresses the problem of arsenic by pursuing a holistic approach. It presents the status quo in different parts of the world (North and South America, Europe, Asia, etc.) and provides essential information on food-related arsenic exposure risks for humans, and possible preventive and curative measures for tackling arsenic poisoning. It covers the arsenic contamination status of rice, rice-based products, other vegetables, fishes, mushrooms, and other foods, with a special focus on rice-arsenic interactions. The mechanisms of arsenic uptake, translocation and distribution in plants and grains are also explained. In closing, the book reviews a variety of prospective agronomic and biotechnological solutions to the problem of arsenic accumulation in rice grains.

The book is intended for a broad audience including researchers, scientists, and readers with diverse backgrounds including agriculture, environmental science, food science, environmental management, and human health. It can also be used as an important reference guide for undergraduate and graduate students, university faculties, and environmentalists.

This edited book stands as a one place knowledge hub for plant metal(loid) transporters. The book comprehensively covers holistic aspect of metal(loid) transporters involved in uptake and translocation of essential as well as toxic metal(loid)s. Essential and beneficial metal(loid)s are required in every biological process for normal plant growth and development, however in excess they are toxic. There are toxic metal(loid)s also whose accumulation in plants interferes with normal cellular functioning and hampers growth of plants. Hence, metal(loid) uptake and accumulation in plants is a highly regulated phenomenon involving the role of several transporters, enzymes, metabolites, transcription factors and post translational modifications. The book contains chapters from the experts and the contents of the book are presented in simple language and represented through beautiful and scientifically informative figures and tables. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, doctoral and graduate students working in the area of plant physiology, environmental biotechnology, plant biotechnology metal(loid) stress, phytoremediation and crop biofortification.

This contributed volume covers the role of zinc in soil and plant systems, providing a comprehensive understanding of factors influencing its total and bioavailable levels. The book presents the mechanisms of zinc uptake, translocation, and homeostasis in plants under both Zn-deficient and Zn-excess conditions. It also addresses a variety of agronomic, biotechnological, and microbial approaches for managing zinc nutrition in crops.

Plants have evolved intricate systems of transporters and regulatory mechanisms to obtain trace amounts of zinc, which is crucial for their growth and yield. Zinc homeostasis is essential for optimal crop performance, yet its availability in the environment varies significantly. While some regions of the world experience severe zinc deficiency, others face zinc toxicity. This poses a dual challenge: zinc deficiency in crops negatively impacts the nutrition of millions of people dependent on plant-based diets, while zinc toxicity can lead to excessive zinc accumulation in crops, posing health risks to humans. The book highlights significant advancements in improving zinc nutrition in crops, presenting cutting-edge research and strategies to address these challenges. It offers insights into the broader implications of zinc in agriculture and human nutrition, bridging the gap between plant health and public health.

This book is an invaluable resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers, and academicians. It is particularly relevant for those studying or working in the fields of crop nutrition, essential elements in plants, zinc deficiency and toxicity in soils, the role of zinc in human health, and sustainable agricultural practices.