Plant Functional Genomics for Abiotic Stress Resilience

The book provides a comprehensive overview of the functional genomics to develop a stress resilience crop. The book will be helpful to students doing their Master's, Ph.D., postdoc, and the scientific community in the fields of molecular biology, biotechnology, and crop improvement. The individual chapters of the proposed book will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanism, which is yet to be characterized for improving stress tolerance.
Abiotic stresses such as drought, high soil salinity, heat, cold, oxidative stress, and heavy metal toxicity are common adverse environmental conditions that affect and limit crop productivity worldwide. Understanding the molecular basis of plant response to these environmental conditions has been a major focus of recent research. Abiotic stress is a complex trait, which is governed by multiple genes, i.e., "Functional Genomics", which aims to identify genes and determine their functions. Plant functional genome analysis has progressed to a high-throughput stage. The various parameters for developing abiotic stress resilience plants can be studied using transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and phenomics (OMICS). As a result, the study of functional genomics is critical in the development of crop production and meeting the demands of the world's ever-increasing population.
This book is aimed at students, teachers, and scientists in academia and relevant private companies who are interested in the fields of crop improvement, horticulture, genetics, breeding, physiology, molecular genetics, genomics, in vitro culture and genetic engineering, and structural functional genomics. Specially, this book is intended to provide a comprehensive understanding of plant stress tolerance, with a focus on abiotic stress resilience, in order to improve crop yield. The primary audience for this book includes those seeking to deepen their knowledge of the biological process underlying plant stress tolerance and to apply this knowledge to the development of novel strategies for enhancing crop productivity.

Sanjib Kumar Panda is a distinguished academic and researcher with over 29 years of experience in teaching and research in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Molecular biology, and Biotechnology. He holds a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from Utkal University, Odisha, India, and currently serves as a Senior Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer, India. As an internationally recognized expert in plant abiotic stress signaling and functional genomics, Prof. Panda's research has significantly advanced our understanding of how plants respond to environmental challenges such as drought, salinity, and metal toxicity. His work is deeply rooted in improving crop resilience for sustainable agriculture. He has been awarded several prestigious national and international fellowships, including the BOYSCAST Fellowship (DST, Government of India) at the University of California, Riverside, and the Indo-US Science & Technology Forum Fellowship at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, USA. His academic engagements span globally, having served as a Visiting Professor at institutions in Japan, Germany, France, Indonesia, South Africa, and the United States. Prof. Panda has presented his research at numerous international conferences and authored over 160 peer-reviewed publications and multiple book chapters. His work has garnered more than 12,010 citations on Google Scholar, with an h-index of 50, underscoring his impact on plant science research. He is also listed among the World’s Top 2% Scientists, as recognized by Stanford University’s research. In addition to his research, Prof. Panda actively contributes to the scientific community as a reviewer and editorial board member for several high-impact journals, cementing his role as a thought leader in plant molecular biology.
Mather A. Khan is a molecular plant biologist with a PhD in Plant Biotechnology. As a scientist at the Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, USA, he leads research in plant metal homeostasis and stress physiology. His discoveries in vascular iron sensing, regulatory mechanisms, and cadmium-iron crosstalk have reshaped scientific understanding of micronutrient regulation in plants. By integrating functional genomics, multi-omics approaches, and physiological studies, Dr. Khan deciphers how plants manage the uptake, transport, and allocation of essential and non-essential metals. His work not only advances fundamental plant science but also tackles pressing global challenges, including food safety, security, and hidden hunger. A prolific researcher, Dr. Khan has authored over 40 scientific articles and serves on the editorial boards of leading journals. As an active peer reviewer, he contributes his expertise to the broader scientific community. Through his innovative research, Dr. Khan bridges the gap between plant biology and sustainable solutions for a food-secure future.