Part 1. Microbial Inoculants in Organic Vegetable Production: Current Perspective -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Need of organic vegetables -- 3. Essential characteristics of organic farming systems -- 4. Microbial inoculants as components of organic production -- 5. Microbes as bio-control agents for suppression of plant diseases -- 6. Microbes for decomposition of organic residues -- 7. Factors affecting the efficacy of microbial inoculants -- Part 2. Plant growth promoting bacteria: Importance in vegetable production -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Place of PGPR in Food safety and agricultural challenges -- 3. Mechanism of growth promotion by PGPR-A general perspective -- 4. PGPR-hydrolytic enzymes -- 5. Systemic tolerance and systemic resistance induction by PGPR -- Part 3. Role of Nitrogen Fixing Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria in Sustainable Production of Vegetables: Current Perspective -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Rationale for using nitrogen fixers in vegetable production -- 3. Nitrogen fixers-Vegetable Interactions: How nitrogen fixers enter vegetables -- 4. Mechanism of vegetable Growth Promotion by nitrogen fixing plant growth promoting rhizobacteria -- 5. Nitrogen fixing plant growth promoting rhizobacteria improve vegetable production: A general perspective -- 6. Effects of nitrogen fixing plant growth promoting rhizobacteria on important vegetable crops -- Part 4. Role of Plant growth Promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in the improvement of vegetable crop production under stress conditions -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Stress factors -- Part 3. Drought -- 4. Alleviation of drought and salinity stress by plant growth promoting rhizobacteria -- Part 5. Growth improvement and management of vegetable diseases by plant growth promoting rhizobacteria -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Rationale for using PGPR in the Management of Vegetables Diseases -- 3. How plant growth promoting rhizobacteria combat phytopathogen attack: A general perspective -- 4. Some Examples of Growth Promotion and Vegetable Disease Management by PGPR Wilt disease: A general perspective -- Part 6 -- Perspectives of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria in Growth Enhancement and Sustainable Production of Tomato -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Nutritional composition of tomato fruit -- 3. Health benefits of lycopene -- 4. Rhizosphere and PGPR -- Part 7. Beneficial Role of Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria in Vegetable Production Under Abiotic Stress -- 1 Introduction -- 2. Impact of plant growth promoting bacteria on vegetables under stressed environment -- Part 8 -- Metal Toxicity to Certain Vegetables and Bioremediation of Metal Polluted Soils -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Heavy Metals: A brief account -- 3. Sources of Vegetable Contamination by Heavy Metals -- 4. Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals: A Serious Concern -- Part 9. Recent Advances in Management Strategies of Vegetable Diseases -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Soil borne phytopatogenic diseases of vegetables: A general account -- 3. General effects of diseases on vegetable crop production -- 4. Management practices for control of vegetable diseases.