About The Book

Plant bacteriology, a vital branch of plant pathology, has grown
tremendously in both scope and significance over recent decades. The
increasing frequency and impact of bacterial diseases on crops have posed
serious threats to global food security, necessitating an in-depth
understanding of the nature, behavior, and management of bacterial
pathogens. “Plant Bacteriology Refresher” has been crafted with the intent
of offering a concise yet comprehensive guide to students, educators,
researchers, and plant health professionals who seek a firm grounding in
the fundamentals of plant bacteriology along with insights into the latest
advancements in the field.
The book begins with an Introduction to Plant Bacteriology,
setting the stage by highlighting the importance of studying plant-pathogenic
bacteria in the context of sustainable agriculture and plant health. A brief
History of Plant Bacteriology follows, tracing the pivotal discoveries and
scientific milestones that have shaped our current understanding, from the
pioneering work of scientists like T.J. Burrill and E.F. Smith to the molecular
breakthroughs of modern times.

About Author

Dr. Dinesh Singh working as Head & Principal
Scientist at Division of Crop Protection, ICAR-IARI,
Lucknow – 226002 (U.P.) since 13th July 2023.He
earned his B. Sc. Ag. from Kanpur University,
Kanpur in 1988, M.Sc. Ag and Ph. D. in Mycology
& Plant Pathology from Institute of Agricultural
Sciences, BHU, Varanasi in 1990 and 1995
respectively. He joined as ARS services in January
20, 1997 at IIVR, Varanasi as scientist and then
worked as scientist upto 23rd July 2006 at CIPHET,
Abohar (Punjab). He again joined ICAR- IARI, New Delhi on 24th July
2006 as Sr. Scientist and principal scientist on 20th January 2012 and
continued up to 12th July 2023. Dr. Singh has made significant contributions
in the areas of plant pathology as well as in plant bacteriology. He
characterized and deposited 176 isolates of Ralstonia solanacerum, 217
isolates of Xanthomonas compestris pv. compestris, 6 isolates of X. oryzae
pv. oryzae, 31 isolates of X. vesicatoria, 45 isolates of Bacillus spp. (Bacillus
subtilis, B. amyloliquifaciens, B. pumilus, B. cereus) in the ITCC, Division

of Plant Pathology, IARI, New Delhi. He developed a multiplex PCR-
based sensitive, specific and reliable protocol for simultaneous detection

of R. solanacerum, Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotvora from potato tubers.
He characterized two races of Ralstonia solanacerum (Race 1 and Race 3)
and 3 races of X. compestris pv. compestris (Race 1, 4 and 6) from India.
Dr. Singh developed a talc-based formulation of bacterial antagonists such
as Pseudomonas fluorescens DTPF-3, Bacillus subtilis DTBS-5, and B.
amyloliquefaciens DTBA-11 effective against fungal and bacterial diseases
of plants. He has guided four Ph.D. and two M.Sc. students in the field of
plant bacteriology. He has published 208 research papers in peer-reviewed
reputed journals, 51 popular articles, 38 books, 122 book chapters, 5
technical bulletins, 9 training manuals and 2 practical manuals. He has
been honored with awards including NESA Fellowship, NABS Fellow,
IPS Fellow, SPPS Fellow, Bioved Fellowship Award, Honorary Fellowship
Indian Mycological Society in 2020, ISHRD Fellowship, Fellow of Asian
PGPR Society, Dr. M. M. Alam Medal, Young Scientist Associate Award,
Late Shri P. P. Shinghal Memorial Award, J. P. Varma Memorial lecture
Award, Reviewer Excellence, Award for Excellent in Research,
Distinguished Scientist in Plant Pathology Award, Best Faculty Award,
NESA Green Technology Innovative Award and B. P. Pal Memorial Best

Scientist Award and Prof. M S Pavgi Award from various professional
societies and agencies.

Dr. Shivam Kumar is working as SMS (Plant
pathology) at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ambedkar
Nagar under Acharya Narendra Deva University of
Agriculture & Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya,
224 229 (Uttar Pradesh). He did his B.Sc. (Ag.)
Honours from ANDUA&T, Ayodhya in 2019, M.
Sc. (Plant Pathology) in 2021, and Ph.D. (Plant
Pathology) in 2025, both from CSAUA&T, Kanpur,
(U.P.). He qualified the ASRB-NET in the year
2023. Dr. Kumar wrked his M.Sc. research work
on “Development of IDM practices for management of common scab of
potato [Streptomyces scabies (Thaxter) Waksman and Henrici] and its effect
on growth and yield” and Ph.D. research work on “Studies on the efficacy
of biosynthesized nanoparticles against Common scab [Streptomyces
scabies (Thaxter) Waksman & Henrici] of potato and its impact on plant
defence mechanisms”. He has published more then 20 research papers in
international and national journals, 02 books (Diseases of Field Crops and
Their Management, Diseases of Horticultural and Their Management), 02
Manuals (Practical approaches in Plant Bacteriology: Techniques for
Research & Diagnosis and Practical Manual in Plant Pathology) 20 book
chapters with ISBN in reputed books, and 07 popular articles on the current
issues in agricultural science. He received the ‘Best Poster Presentation
Award’ in 2024 by the Indian Phytopathological Society (IPS), the ‘Young
Plant Pathologist Award’ in 2023 by the Agricultural Technology
Development Society (ATDS), and the ‘Best M.Sc. Thesis Award in 2022
by the Society for Scientific Development in Agriculture & Technology
(SSDAT).

Dr. Shenaz Sultana Ahmed pursued her M.Sc. (Agri.) and Ph.D. (Agri.)
in Plant Pathology from the Department of Plant
Pathology, College of Agriculture, Assam
Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam. She was
the recipient of the University Grants
Commission (UGC) Ishan Uday Fellowship
during her B.Sc. (Agriculture) program. In the
course of her Master’s studies, she was
conferred with the Prof. Debeswar Pathak
Memorial Gold Medal Award and the Lt. S.

Bora Memorial CP Award for her academic excellence and research
contributions. In recognition of her outstanding work in the field of plant
pathology, Dr. Ahmed received the Best Master’s Thesis Award from the
Agricultural and Environmental Technology Development Society
(AETDS). She qualified the ASRB-NET in the year 2023 and was awarded
the highly prestigious INSPIRE Fellowship by the Department of Science
and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government
of India—an honor granted to the top 1% of students in Life Sciences. Dr.
Ahmed has an impressive research portfolio, with 11 research papers, 06
book chapters, 02 popular articles, and 01 authored book published across
esteemed national and international platforms. Her scientific contributions
have been acknowledged with 7 Best Poster Presentation Awards and 4
Best Oral Presentation Awards at various national and international
conferences. Her research is primarily centered on the biological control
of plant diseases, with an emphasis on the development and application of
microbial encapsulation technologies, which also helps in pesticide
detoxification, contributing to enhanced food security under climate change,
thereby promoting sustainable agricultural practices through
environmentally sound and innovative approaches.