IntechOpen Book Series Biochemistry Volume 11

Dr. Everlon Cid Rigobelo graduated from Agronomy School Universidade Estadual Paulista Campus of Jaboticabal, Brazil, in 2000. He received a MSc in Animal Science Microbiology and a PhD in Microbiology from the same university where he also works as a researcher. Dr. Rigobelo has experience in genetics and epidemiology, and is active in the fields of microbial biotechnology, molecular genetics and bacterial genomics. He works with plant

growth-promoting rhizobacteria and he previously worked with probiotic strains to reduce the spread of *Escherichia coli* in animal production. He has also served as editor for several books, including *Probiotic in Animals*, *Plant Growth*, and *Symbiosis*

Ademar Pereira Serra graduated from Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS) in 2005. He obtained a master's degree in Agronomy, Crop Science (soil fertility and plant nutrition) from Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD) in 2007, and a PhD in Agronomy from Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados/Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (UFGD/ ESALQ-USP) in 2011. Dr. Serra works at the Brazilian Agricultur-

al Research Corporation (EMBRAPA). His research is based on mineral nutrition of plants, crop science and soil science. He is presently working on projects related to soil organic matter, soil phosphorus fractions, compositional nutrient diagnosis (CND) and isometric log ratio (ilr) transformation in compositional data analysis.

## **Editors of Volume 11:**

**Everlon Cid Rigobelo**

Universidade Estadual Paulista – FCAV – Jaboticabal SP – Department of Plant Production, Brazil

#### **Ademar Pereira Serra**

Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation - EMBRAPA – Campo Grande MS – Department of Plant Production, Brazil

## **Book Series Editor: Miroslav Blumenberg**

NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, USA

## Scope of the Series

Contents

**Preface III**

**Chapter 1 1**

**Chapter 2 13**

**Chapter 3 35**

**Chapter 4 57**

**Chapter 5 69**

**Chapter 6 93**

**Chapter 7 109**

Role of Biofertilizers in Plant Growth and Soil Health *by Murugaragavan Ramasamy, T. Geetha and M. Yuvaraj*

*by Eulene Francisco da Silva, Marlenildo Ferreira Melo, Kássio Ewerton Santos Sombra, Tatiane Severo Silva, Diana Ferreira de Freitas, Maria Eugênia da Costa, Eula Paula da Silva Santos, Larissa Fernandes da Silva,* 

Nitrogen Fertilization II: Management Practices to Sustain Crop Production and Soil and Environmental Quality *by Upendra M. Sainju, Rajan Ghimire and Gautam P. Pradhan*

*Carlos Augusto Posser Silveira, Luis Eduardo Corrêa Antunes* 

Nitrogen Fertilization I: Impact on Crop, Soil, and Environment *by Upendra M. Sainju, Rajan Ghimire and Gautam P. Pradhan*

Advancement of Nitrogen Fertilization on Tropical Environmental *by Elizeu Monteiro Pereira Junior, Elaine Maria Silva Guedes Lobato,* 

Comprehensive Account of Inoculation and Coinoculation in Soybean

Organic Nitrogen in Agricultural Systems

*and Paula Romyne de Morais Cavalcante Neitzke*

*by Ivan dos Santos Pereira, Adilson Luis Bamberg,* 

*Beatriz Martineli Lima, Barbara Rodrigues Quadros, Allan Klynger da Silva Lobato, Izabelle Pereira Andrade* 

*by Muhammad Jamil Khan, Rafia Younas, Abida Saleem, Mumtaz Khan, Qudratullah Khan and Rehan Ahmed*

Nitrogen Fertilization in Blackberry

*and Rogério Oliveira de Sousa*

*and Letícia Faria Abreu*

*Ademar Pereira Serra* 

Biochemistry, the study of chemical transformations occurring within living organisms, impacts all of life sciences, from molecular crystallography and genetics, to ecology, medicine and population biology. Biochemistry studies macromolecules proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates and lipids –their building blocks, structures, functions and interactions. Much of biochemistry is devoted to enzymes, proteins that catalyze chemical reactions, enzyme structures, mechanisms of action and their roles within cells. Biochemistry also studies small signaling molecules, coenzymes, inhibitors, vitamins and hormones, which play roles in the life process. Biochemical experimentation, besides coopting the methods of classical chemistry, e.g., chromatography, adopted new techniques, e.g., X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, NMR, radioisotopes, and developed sophisticated microbial genetic tools, e.g., auxotroph mutants and their revertants, fermentation etc. More recently, biochemistry embraced the 'big data' omics systems.

Initial biochemical studies have been exclusively analytic: dissecting, purifying and examining individual components of a biological system; in exemplary words of Efraim Racker, (1913 –1991) "Don't waste clean thinking on dirty enzymes." Today however, biochemistry is becoming more agglomerative and comprehensive, setting out to integrate and describe fully a particular biological system. The 'big data' metabolomics can define the complement of small molecules, e.g., in a soil or biofilm sample; proteomics can distinguish all the proteins comprising e.g., serum; metagenomics can identify all the genes in a complex environment e.g., bovine rumen. This Biochemistry Series will address both the current research on biomolecules, and the emerging trends with great promise.
