Advance Paper I Paper III: Endophytes

Paper Code: 
25LSC143F
Credits: 
04
Contact Hours: 
60

Unit I

PLANT- MICROBE INTERACTION AND INTRODUCTION TO ENDOPHYTES

Types of interactions (Commensalism, Neutralism, Proto cooperation, Co-operation, Mutualism, Symbiosis, Parasitism and Predation).

Endophytes: Definition and historical perspective, Classification of endophytes: Bacterial and fungal, Ecological significance and distribution: Horizontal and vertical transmission of endophytes, Endophytes associated with plants- Leaf, root and stem endophytes.

12

Unit II

PLANT SECONDARY METABOLITES

Introduction to Secondary Plant Products: Definition, classification, extraction, separation and characterization of:

  • Phenylpropanoids, (Hydroxycinnamic acids, Coumarins, Lignans and phenylpropenes)
  • Flavonoids (Anthocyanins, Flavones, Flavonones, Flavonols, Chalcones)
  • Terpenoids (Monoterpenoids, Sesquiterpenoids, Diterpenoids, Sterols, cardiac glycosides, Saponins, Carotenoids and Volatile Oils)
  • Alkaloids (Quinoline, isoquinoline, tropane, pyridine, purine, imidazole and indole)

14

Unit III

FUNCTIONAL ROLES AND APPLICATIONS OF ENDOPHYTES

Role and application of endophytes in agriculture: Plant growth promotion, stress tolerance: biotic and abiotic stress, role in disease suppression and biocontrol, quorum quenching, biofertilizers, biopesticides, endophytes in phytoremediation, pharmaceutical potential: antimicrobial, anticancer, and antioxidant properties, Role in sustainable environment and climate change mitigation, nanoparticle synthesis.

12

Unit IV

PRACTICAL ASPECTS AND RESEARCH TECHNIQUES

Localization of endophytes using specific staining methods- Distribution of endophytes within plants; Methods of endophyte isolation and identification, Molecular identification using 16S rRNA (bacteria) and ITS/18S rRNA sequencing (fungi), Secondary metabolite screening and bioassays, Experimental design for studying endophyte-host interactions.

12

Unit V

MOLECULAR APPROACHES AND OMICS STUDIES

Metagenomics and microbiome studies of endophytes, Next-generation sequencing (NGS) for endophyte diversity analysis, Genome editing and synthetic biology approaches, Challenges in functional validation of endophytic genes.

10

 

ESSENTIAL READINGS: 
  • Barbara S, Christine B. (2006). What are Endophytes? Soil Biology, Volume 9 Microbial Root Endophytes, B. Schulz, C. Boyle TN. Sieber (Eds.) Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
  • Harborne, A.J., Springer; 3rd ed. 1998 edition (30 April 1998)
  • Sanjana K, Tanwi S, and Manoj KD. (2016). ―Omics, Tools for Better Understanding the Plant–Endophyte Interactions. Front Plant Sci. 7: 955.
  • Maheshwari, D. K. (Ed.). (2017). Endophytes: Biology and Biotechnology (Vol. 1). In K. G. Ramawat (Series Ed.), Sustainable Development and Biodiversity (Vol. 15). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66541-2
  • Singh, B.P. (Ed.). (2019). Advances in Endophytic Fungal Research: Present Status and Future Challenges. Fungal Biology. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03589-1
  • Kumar, A., & Radhakrishnan, E.K. (Eds.). (2020). Microbial Endophytes: Functional Biology and Applications. Woodhead Publishing (Elsevier).
  • Shrivastava, N., Mahajan, S., & Varma, A. (Eds.). (2021). Symbiotic soil microorganisms: Biology and applications. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51916-2
  • Tyagi, S., Kumar, R., Saharan, B., & Nadda, A.K. (Eds.). (2021). Plant-Microbial Interactions and Smart Agricultural Biotechnology (1st ed.). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003213864

 

Academic Year: 
2025-2026
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