The actinomycetes are a group of bacteria well known as producers of antibiotics. With the advent of molecular biology they have become important to biotechnologists in the search for new antibiotics, vitamins, enzyme inhibitors, etc. They also play an important role in the biodegradation of wastes, and their wide (natural) distribution in soil, composts, water and elsewhere in the environment makes them important to the agricultural and waste industries. This research book presents a broad view of the current interest in actinomycetes, ranging from isolation/screening of actinomycetes, discovery of new antibiotics, a substantial contribution on genetic manipulation to actinomycetes in agriculture, forestry, and the threat of actinomycetes as pollutants in the environment.The chapters, which have been written by experts, are intended to provide a balanced view of the opportunities and problems in an expanding field of interest.

Rhizoctonia Species: Taxonomy, Molecular Biology, Ecology, Pathology and Control, written by the world's most reputable experts in their respective fields of Rhizoctonia research, summarizes years of research in the various aspects of the ubiquitous complex group of soil-borne fungi belonging to the anamorph genus Rhizoctonia. Species of Rhizoctonia worldwide cause economically important diseases on most of the world's important plants such as cereals, potato, cotton, sugarbeet, vegetables, ornamentals and trees in nurseries. The subject reviews covered in the book include classic as well as modern approaches to Rhizoctonia research in: Taxonomy and Evolution, Genetics and Pathogenicity, Plant-Rhizoctonia Interactions, Ecology, Population and Disease Dynamics, Disease Occurrence and Management in Various Crops, Cultural Control, Biological Control, Germplasm for Resistance, Chemical and Integrated Control Strategies. It aims to be the standard reference source book on Rhizoctonia for the next decade or more, just as Parmeter et al. (1970) has been in the past. It will be an important publication for Rhizoctonia investigators, plant pathologists, students, extension specialists, crop producers and companies dealing with plant disease control.

This book presents an introductory overview of Actinobacteria with three main divisions: taxonomic principles, bioprospecting, and agriculture and industrial utility, which covers isolation, cultivation methods, and identification of Actinobacteria and production and biotechnological potential of antibacterial compounds and enzymes from Actinobacteria. Moreover, this book also provides a comprehensive account on plant growth-promoting (PGP) and pollutant degrading ability of Actinobacteria and the exploitation of Actinobacteria as ecofriendly nanofactories for biosynthesis of nanoparticles, such as gold and silver. This book will be beneficial for the graduate students, teachers, researchers, biotechnologists, and other professionals, who are interested to fortify and expand their knowledge about Actinobacteria in the field of Microbiology, Biotechnology, Biomedical Science, Plant Science, Agriculture, Plant pathology, Environmental Science, etc.

Introduction to and importance of actinomycetes. Classification. Morphology. Genetics of the nocardioform bacteria. Streptmycetes genetics. Transformation of xenobiotics. Actinomycete envelope lipid and peptidoglycan composition. Chicical significance of actinomycetes. Laboratory diagnosis of actinomycetes diseases. Actinomycetes pathogenesis. Ecology of actinomycetes.

The first contribution summarizes current trends in research on medicinal plants in Mexico with emphasis on work carried out at the authors' laboratories. The most relevant phytochemical and pharmacological profiles of a selected group of plants used widely for treating major national health problems are described. The second contribution provides a detailed survey of the so far reported literature data on the capacities of selected oxyprenylated phenylpropanoids and polyketides to trigger receptors, enzymes, and other types of cellular factors for which they exhibit a high degree of affinity and therefore evoke specifice responses. And the third contribution discusses aspects of endophytic actinobacterial biology and chemistry, including biosynthesis and total synthesis of secondary metabolites produced in culture. It also presents perspectives fo the future of microbial biodiscovery, with emphasis on the seondary metabolism of endophytic actinobacteria.

First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.