Endophytic Fungi: The Hidden Sustainable Jewels for the Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Industries (Fungal Biology)

Endophytes have unique characteristics to propagate inside host plants and aide the host by providing additional defense against environmental stresses and phytopathogens. Among endophytes, endophytic fungi have been recognized as a proliferating source for the production of bioactive compounds with potential in both the agricultural and health industries.
Excessive use of pesticides in agriculture as well as in the food supply chain have led to increased antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is one of the more serious global health concerns. Endophytic fungi and their associated bioactive substances have been reported to show natural ability to fight against pathogens and can reduce the development of AMR in nature. Studies also reported their potential as producers of hormones that enhance plant growth and several compounds having biological activities without any adverse effects.
This book covers the pharmaceutical potential offungal endophytes as elucidated through advanced bioinformatics tools and modern techniques. Also synthetic drugs are losing their efficacy to treat microbial-induced disease due to this emergence of drug-resistant microbes. Therefore, insight into the detection of valuable plant constituents is a pressing priority in order to achieve effective pharmaceutical treatments. This book provides lucid discussion of the most recent research and provides knowledge about the applications of endophytic fungi with a specific focus to their pharmaceutical potential.

Prof. Bhim Pratap SinghAffiliations and expertiseProfessor, Department of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences (AES), National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship & Management (NIFTEM), An Institute of National Importance (INI), Haryana, India
Dr. Singh is a Professor in the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship & Management (NIFTEM), An Institute of National Importance (INI), under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India. Dr. Singh has obtained his Ph.D. from the Department of Biotechnology, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, India while working in the Indian Agricultural Research Institute-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms (ICAR-NBAIM), Mau, India completed his post graduate training at the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR), Pusa campus, New Delhi on Genetic Diversity of BarleyLandraces by using RAPD markers. Dr. Singh has authored more than 100 research papers and book chapters in journals and books of international repute. Dr. Singh edited eight books published by Springer and Elsevier. He is a member of the Association of Microbiologist of India (AMI), the Asian PGPR society for Sustainable Agriculture, the Mushroom Society of India (MSI), and the Indian Science Congress (ISC). He received several prestigious awards from agencies such as DST, New Delhi and other agencies in the field of Microbial Diversity. Dr Singh has served as guest editors in many journals like Frontiers in Microbiology, Biology-MDPI, Journal of Fungi-MDPI, Frontiers in Molecular biosciences etc. His major research areas are in postharvest disease management using natural agents and improving the shelf life of fresh commodities to reduce food loss happening during the food supply chain.
Prof. Ahmed H. Abdel-AzeemProfessor, Suez Canal University in Egypt
Dr. Ahmed is a professor of mycology at Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University in Egypt and affiliated professor at Department of Genetics, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of the Free State, Republic of South Africa. He is the founder and president of Arab Society for Fungal Conservation and executive Committee member of IMA (2018-2022). He is a Founder member of International Society for Fungal Conservation, Member in European Mycological Association, Member in Mycological Society of America. Abdel-Azeem is the president of African Mycological Association (AfriMA) and he founded Egypt's National Fungus day, African Annual Fungus Day and many mycologists' networks like Egyptian, Iraqi, Algerian and Pakistani networks. He is the founder of Pan Arab Mycologists. Abdel-Azeem with particular interest in the ecology, taxonomy, biology, and conservation of fungi and his specialist interest is members of the phylum Ascomycota. He is a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Specialist Group for Cup Fungi, Truffles & their Allies. Also, he is a member of Fungal Conservation Committee (FunCC) of IUCN.
Dr. Vibhav GautamAffiliations and expertiseCentre of Experimental Medicine and SurgeryInstitute of Medical SciencesBanaras Hindu UniversityVaranasi-India 221005 Vibhav Gautam attained his post-graduate degree from Savitribai Phule Pune University located in Pune, India. His academic journey continued with the successful completion of a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from the esteemed National Institute of Plant Genome Research in India. This Ph.D. was awarded by Jawaharlal Nehru University situated in New Delhi, India. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor at the Centre of Experimental Medicine and Surgery within the Institute of Medical Sciences at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India, Dr. Gautam is deeply immersed in his research pursuits. His current focus centers on leveraging a range of spectroscopy-based techniques to pinpoint promising lead compounds sourced from fungal endophytes. These compounds exhibit significant potential in combatting breast cancer. Moreover, Dr. Gautam's work encompasses the application of diverse microscopic techniques to validate and elucidate the surface topology and structure of bioengineered nanoparticles, a process mediated by fungal endophytes.
Dr. Garima SinghAffiliations and expertiseDepartment of Botany, Pachhunga University College (PUC) campus, Mizoram University, Aizawl, Mizoram, India
Dr. Singh is working as Assistant Professor at Pachhunga University College (PUC) campus of Mizoram Central University, Mizoram, India. She has completed her doctorate in 2018 from Mizoram University, India in plant sciences and worked on the pharmaceutical potential of selected traditional medicinal plants. Dr. Singh has 8 years of research experience and has published several research papers in national and international journals having high impact factor like Scientific reports, BMC complementary and alternative medicine, frontiers in plant sciences, etc. Dr. Singh has awarded for her work by several agencies while presenting her research work in India and abroad. Her expertise lies in the areas of utilization of traditional medicinal plants for sustainable development, secondary metabolites extraction and documentation of traditional medicinal pants. Dr. Singh is running one externally funded project to explore the pharmaceutical potential of some selected traditional medicinal plants located in North East India.
Dr. Santosh Kumar SinghAffiliations and expertiseCentre of Experimental Medicine and SurgeryInstitute of Medical SciencesBanaras Hindu UniversityVaranasi-India 221005
Dr. Santosh Kumar Singh is a Senior Scientist and Administrative Incharge at the Centre of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. He earned his PhD in Botany from the same university in 1998 and served as a Visiting Scientist at the University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic. Dr. Singh boasts over 23 years of academic and research experience, coupled with over 14 years of university administrative roles. His primary focus lies in plant-derived drug discovery and development. Dr. Singh has supervised 12 PhD and 10 MD/MS theses, authored more than 100 publications in esteemed journals, edited an international book, and held editorial positions in various journals. He's led multiple research projects funded by prominent organizations such as DST, DBT, and SERB, India. Dr. Singh has garnered recognition, including the National Award of Science and Technology Communication from DST, and the Excellence in Science Communication Award from Scientific & Education Research Society. He's a recipient of the U.P. Ratan Award from the Global Neem Organization, among others. Beyond his scientific pursuits, Dr. Singh is deeply engaged in scientific awareness initiatives, targeting school students, farmers, and rural communities. His involvement in uplifting economically disadvantaged regions through science and technology interventions is commendable. As a technical advisor for FAARD-Foundation, he mentors over 60 farmer producer organizations, directly impacting more than 100,000 farmers.